One Perfect Sunrise
by Blue Gnoll
Summary: Tsukune Aono has been adjusting to life as a shinso vampire, as a liaison between the monster and human worlds and as Headmaster of Yokai Academy. He's even handling life as a fiancé. When one of his friends goes missing, however, the resulting international situation begins to unravel everything. Headmaster Mikogami certainly left big shoes to fill.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: "Rosario + Vampire" and the majority of the characters in this work of 'fanfiction' belong to** **Akihisa Ikeda , writer and illustrator of the original manga.** **Any resemblance to actual locations, institutions and/or organizations in this 'fanfic' are coincidental, or altered for dramatic purposes.**

 **Chapter 1:**

 _"Like a good parent can't also be his child's best friend, a leader with authority requires some separation from subordinates" – Simon Sinek_

* * *

"Tsukune!" Moka Akashiya sat bolt upright in bed, gripping the sweat damp sheet partially twisted around her. Her heavy breathing registered more in her ears than in the hollow bed chamber. She swallowed hard, her throat parched. "Tsukune?" she whispered into the dark. Bewildered, her anxiety piqued, Moka realized she was the bed's lone occupant. Calming down, she scanned the shadows cast by the moonlight diffused through gossamer curtains; he wasn't there.

Moka stretched her vampires' prescience. Emotionally, and in a very real way physically, she and Tsukune were connected. Time and trials made the two of them very aware of each other's feelings, disposition and sometimes even location. Marking one another as mates had reinforced this bond. However, current circumstances conspired to hide her beloved Tsukune from her in this moment of need. Recovering from her now nebulous bad dream was first. Second, Moka sensed Tsukune was deliberately concealing his presence or youki, as monsters termed it; a curiosity that only heightened her angst.

Her bright red cat eyes contracted as the tall doors to the room parted, silhouetting a figure crossing the threshold. Dusky beams of gray moonlight from the cathedral style windows highlighted the man in alternating light and dark relief, swiftly making his way to the bed .

"Moka!" Tsukune planted himself next to her a moment later, barely disturbing the bed. "What's wrong?"

Moka took in a deep breath, finding it easier to dismiss whatever macabre dream her unconscious mind woke her with now that Tsukune was at her side. Her eyes narrowed, her head tilting back as her aristocratic pride asserted itself. "You tell me, Tsukune. Why are you gone from our bed? Why are you hidden from me?"

Ever ready to admit he was wrong, even if he wasn't, necessarily, Tsukune's big brown eyes widened. Instinctively he lowered his head and shoulders in supplication to her, holding her gaze never-the-less. "Moka, I'm sorry. Is that what woke you?"

She shook her head and swallowed. With a careful finger Tsukune moved one of the long strands of silvery rose tipped hair off her forehead to regard her heavy-lidded eyes closely, as if she were ill. A teenage like glint of hopeless fascination remained ever present in his eyes when he looked at her. The gentleness of his touch gave her a shiver. "Here," he turned his back on her and pulled his top off, over his head. "I can hear it in your voice Moka. Take what you need."

Moka took in the "V" that was Tsukune's shoulders and back, and the lattice work of scars he had acquired in his teens by putting his human life on the line for her repeatedly. His becoming a "First Ancestor" vampire did nothing to hide those early wounds won by his adolescent naiveté and blind devotion to her. Without touching him, her fingertips traced along some of the scars until she found herself beholding the bite between his neck and shoulder, marking him as hers alone. There had always been an inevitability about her and Tsukune in her heart and mind, but seeing that mark drove the reality of it home for her.

Tsukune waited patiently. If he was tense, if there was a reason that even now he was blocking his youki, he made no mention of it to her. Moka was his sole focus and she was privately thrilled by that. Sensing her closeness, Tsukune tilted his head to the right.

"You don't have to," she said quietly. Her voice was low and predatory in stark contrast to her words.

"You haven't been sleeping, Moka" Tsukune said just as quietly. "Getting you a glass of water and tucking you in isn't going to be enough. Go on." Tsukune readied himself, concentrating.

The clumsy aggressiveness of her teenage enthusiasm for Tsukune's blood and companionship was absent, replaced in this moment by a very adult savoring of an intimacy she wanted to last. Pale and beautiful, as if the moonlight sifting into the room had coalesced, Moka settled in closer with shadowy gracefulness. Her knees sinking into the plush mattress brought her thighs, stomach and breasts into contact with Tsukune's back. Looping her arms under his, she set her hands gently on his shoulders, leaning into harder into Tsukune. With sharp fang and hot breath Moka ran the length of his neck from earlobe to trapezius and back up again to the middle, teasing at his flesh.

No amount of focus could stop his very human reaction of goosebumps exploding from his arms and torso. Moka grinned, feeling his response beneath her hands and body. Finally, she sank her fangs into Tsukune. He exhaled sharply at the penetration, feeling her razor sharp upper-canines ease into his neck, making him shudder. Lingering just long enough, Moka extracted what she needed, sating her thirst and sending her heart hammering against her chest. Pressed as close as she was to him, he felt it as well. Finished, Moka withdrew her fangs and laid her head on Tsukune's back. They shared a deep breath and satisfied exhale in perfect harmony.

"Better?" Tsukune asked. He looked over his shoulder and Moka gazed back at him, nodding once.

"I have had trouble sleeping." Moka confessed. She rested her head against his back, leaving her arms loosely around him. "I don't handle loss well. It was a simpler time when I could hide in my own skin, literally." She nuzzled into him, gripping him tighter for a moment; he reached up to take hold of her right hand. "When I could… hide behind my mother," she whispered wistfully. Moka used to believe that spending more time "unsealed" from her "outer" personality made her weaker, but in some ways, the opposite was true.

Tsukune had been very tactful the last few years when it came to speaking about "outer Moka", i.e. Akasha Bloodriver's doomed clone. To hear Moka bring her up was significant. Their friend Kurumu's disappearance clearly affected her more than she let on. "Moka…"

"I'm worried about her. I love her and I miss her very much," Moka admitted to the dark behind Tsukune's back so quietly, Tsukune almost didn't catch it.

"So do…"

"I can say that. You cannot, Tsukune."

The change in tonality made Tsukune turned around, observing Moka intently. Her quiet vulnerability was evaporating, faded into the darkness of the bedchamber. Haughty and jealous to a fault, she stared back at him with a knowing smirk, the red satin sheets draped on her like an imperial robe. Even though her personality had softened since her "outer" persona had been retired in a very permanent way, Moka made it clear, in a very "inner" Moka way, she would no longer tolerate rivals for her Tsukune's love after their engagement and marking of one another.

Tsukune disarmed her, putting his hand behind his head and smiling. "Now you sound like the Moka that terrified me at school. Good." He slipped off the bed, tugging the sheet from her hand, leaving her naked. With a snap, he straightened it and laid it back over top her as she curled up in it.

"There were nights the other Moka felt just like this," Moka admitted out loud, staring into a moonlit corner of the room. "Alone. Wanting you nearby. Every night, it seems, in hindsight. I guess in that regard we became of a single mind."

"Moka…"

"I don't know what has you riled Tsukune, but don't keep me waiting."

Tsukune felt his heart lurch and his blood shift. His youki, his monster presence, lit up like a light house to Moka's senses and she half sat back up to regard him mockingly, "Aw… did I make you lose concentration?" She slowly blinked her lavishly lashed eye lids over her practically luminescent red eyes, pouting her lips some over her fangs.

Backing away from the bed, Tsukune fought his irritation and baser instincts. "Moka, I'll only be a few minutes. Please."

She settled in as sleep overtook her, murmuring one last admonition he heard clearly. "Know your place."

Tearing his eyes from her sylphlike statuesque form, Tsukune walked to the door and slipped out, shutting it quietly but firmly behind him. When he was fully human, that small drink Moka took of his blood would have left him dizzy. Now, it was something his physiology coped with relative ease. This mattered because someone had slipped into their castle and he meant to find them before…

"Found you," whispered a thin voice.

The power behind the chilling whisper sent it echoing in and around the antechamber of the bedroom. Tsukune's reaction time was admirable, but a bit off, thanks to Moka's distraction. His eyes barely caught sight of the tall man standing on the wall, parallel to the floor before the attack came.

Tsukune ducked right, spinning along the attack arc of his assailant. Catching enough of the man's suit coat to use his motion against him, Tsukune exerted ample force to throw the man through the thick wooden pillar of the entryway. Instead, his attacker used Tsukune's strength and his own trajectory to complete a revolution around Tsukune, hands like claws reaching for the young man's throat.

Ducking and rolling, Tsukune struck upwards catching a lucky blow to the other man's gut. Acrobatically, and eerily silent, the man somersaulted in midair and landed catlike in a squat. Uncurling up to his full height, eyes blazing with reddish fire, Issa Shuzen made a show of straightening out his suit coat lapels and cuffs as Tsukune stalked out of the antechamber into the hallway.

So that's what it's going to be, Tsukune thought. No holding back.

The two vampires went at one another with a savage ferocity that could have torn a hole in the castle around them, but with practiced lethality that made only the faintest of sounds. A rustle of cloth, the muffled tap and thuds of limbs contacting, a sharp exhale here and there. It was a titanic contest no one would ever see or hear; conducted like a deadly dance between an assassin representing the very pinnacle of vampire skill and aggression, versus the inherit power of a shinso vampire married to the indomitable tenacity of a human.

"Enough!" Issa suddenly said with authority.

Tsukune made a final swipe and stopped himself short. Issa had his hands on either side of Tsukune face, cradling the young man like he was going to kiss him. "Well fought, but a poor finish. How about I tear your head off to teach you a lesson." Even in the darkness, Issa Shuzen's bloodlust and aggression were terrifying.

"Take a moment to listen to what your hands are telling you." Tsukune countered, controlling his breathing.

Issa's eyes widened ever-so-slightly realizing Tsukune's blood armor had manifested beneath his hands so suddenly, he hadn't anticipated the move. "Create…" Issa said evenly, referring to the vampiric shinso blood talent Tsukune performed.

"And blowing your hands off won't hurt me as much as it will hurt you," Tsukune said smiling. "Plus," he indicated for the older vampire to look down. Issa did, seeing the silver candlestick Tsukune had swiped from a shelf in the foyer with his last move. Broken in half and pressed into Issa's side, it was a crude and unexpected weapon.

Issa Shuzen looked up with an actual, rare smile. Tsukune swelled with pride inside. Early on he had been awed and respectful of Issa, but over the years had come to love and reverence him as a true father figure. Just as well, seeing as he was engaged to his daughter. Still, Tsukune was learning the ins and outs of the sheer aggression and hunter instincts of his mentor and vampires in general. It confused him at times, but not so much anymore that he would let his guard down before Issa made it clear their fight had ended.

"Son," Issa said warmly, gripping Tsukune's head. "You were going to kill me. Well played!"

"I told you Father," Moka's deep voice resonated in the entry hall. She stood in the crack of the parted doors, wrapped in a sheet, watching the two of them, her red eyes positively alight. "He'll be fine."

"Thanks for letting your father know where I was, Moka." Tsukune said lightly. There was no telling how much she had seen.

Moka smiled, predatory and demure all at once and mouthed "know your place" before pursing her lips in a blown kiss. She closed the door softly leaving father and soon-to-be son-in-law together.

Issa waited patiently because Tsukune couldn't take his eyes off her until the massively tall door clicked shut. He turned to face Issa, the blood armor fading from his cheeks. "I love your daughter," Tsukune said, enormously pleased he could say it out loud, uninhibited. It never got old for him.

"Don't talk to me like that, you human filth."

"Wh-what?" Tsukune did a double take.

Issa grinned again, "Tsukune-kun. Still as human on the inside as ever, I see. Moka is very lucky, and so is our family. Now, enough stroking your ego. We have business."

Tsukune nodded, giving the massive bedroom doors a forlorn glance. He fell in step behind Issa, realizing a moment later that his mentor hadn't moved at all. "Issa-sama? Taken aback and unsure of his error, Tsukune tried to hide his discomfort.

"Tsukune-kun, what are you doing?"

"Following you. You said…"

"I said we have business. Not family business. So, what does that mean?" Issa's manner was calm with only a hint of condescension. He turned back around facing Tsukune fully, taking pleasure in making the young man squirm. 'First Ancestor' vampire or not, Tsukune's training and formation into the leader former headmaster Mikogami believed him to be was an ongoing chore Issa Shuzen took very seriously. Not only because the bus driver had hired him to do it, not only because of Tsukune's involvement with his daughter Moka, but because the young man proved to him continuously he was worth the effort.

"What was the last thing my daughter said before retiring to your bed chamber?" Issa asked sharply.

That was easy. Tsukune remembered everything Moka ever said. "He'll be fine?"

"No. That was the last thing she said out loud. What did she tell you before closing the door?"

Tsukune blushed, threw his hand behind his head and smiled, "You saw that, huh? She said 'know your place.'"

"And as an authority figure and husband?" Issa leaned in, eyes bugged out some in a gesture that let Tsukune know he was being tested.

"If your business was urgent, you would have said so…" Tsukune began.

"Go on."

"If it was Shuzen family business, then of course it is urgent. But you did not say that it was that either."

"So?" Issa's eyebrows went up and he stared expectantly at his protégé.

"So… as headmaster of Yokai Academy, I say…" Tsukune trailed off. He composed himself, stood upright in his sensible pajamas and faced Issa eye-to-eye. "Your business can wait until I take my morning briefing. Right now I have my own business to attend to, Issa-kun. You know your way to the guest chambers?" Tsukune affected an imperious tilt of the head and seriousness that he rarely displayed.

The two shared a relaxed moment, one relieved the other impressed. "Headmaster," Issa said with a curt bow. Tsukune returned the bow, but not nearly as deep, embracing the role of academy headmaster and head of house. He watched Issa disappear into the shadowy corridor of the veritable castle he had gifted to Tsukune and Moka on their engagement. When Issa was out of sight, Tsukune glanced down at his hand. The silver candlestick had stung a little more than he admitted. '…human on the inside…' echoed Issa's words in his head as he walked into the antechamber and put the candlestick down.

With a confident smile on his lips, Tsukune entered his bed chamber, Moka clearly awake and waiting for him. Barely containing her very "outer Moka" enthusiasm, she opened her arms and let the sheet slip away as the door closed behind him.

* * *

The scent of the terrace was relaxing. Lavender primarily, there were basil, rosemary, yarrow and lemon balm plants among other herbs growing in boxes and stone enclosures all around the spacious, pea gravel lined walkways. Ancient styled statuary graced the various paths and walls while a muted fountain gently bubbled in the background, the water running down layers smooth rocks into an artificial pond. In the pond swam goldfish. Tsukune had insisted there be goldfish with a tinge of nostalgia, remembering a night spent at the Yokai festival with Moka's outer personality as she existed at the time. All in all, the garden terrace was designed with the couple's relaxation in mind.

Moka had already surprised Tsukune that morning, half tackling him from behind and taking her morning "slurp" of his blood. He didn't mind. He never had. If anything, her excitement to see him, even though they had just spent the night in each other's intimate company, made up for any discomfort her "breakfast" may have caused.

"So good," she whispered in his ear before kissing his cheek. Flitting around him and taking a seat on a beautiful wrought iron chair, she crossed one leg over the other and stared at Tsukune, her kimono sleeved satin dressing gown showing plenty of leg. "I thought I would cook breakfast this morning," she announced brightly.

Tsukune was surprised, "Really?" he stopped tying his tie.

"Tch, idiot." Moka shook her head and waved at someone beyond Tsukune.

Servants, also provided by Issa and his resources as head of the Shuzen family, came forward and set places on the wrought iron patio table for the both of them. One of the servants bumped Tsukune's hip with her own purposefully as he moved to sit down. His eye shot open, taken aback and stared at Moka, his half tied tie again abandoned. Confused whether he should admonish a clumsy servant or let it go, he noticed Moka squinted and grinned in silent amusement.

That's when he noticed the mass of purple hair on the woman that had bumped him. He looked down, she looked up with pupil-free eyes the color of glacial ice, adjusting her lollipop from one side of her mouth to the other. Even though she was dressed in much the same fashion as she had as a teenager, she had managed to blend in with the black clad servants effortlessly.

"Good morning Tsukune." Mizore said in her breathy voice. "Your servants wouldn't let me touch the food…afraid I would cool it off, I guess. So I brought Moka her sparkling wine." Tsukune smiled warmly, and took his seat as Mizore finished out her temporary role, pouring Moka's glass and setting the bottle down. She stood back and waited as the servants cleared away.

Moka stared meaningfully at Tsukune and then glanced at Mizore.

"Hm? Oh… of course." Tsukune stood and gestured, "Mizore-san, please. Join us." He turned to a slower moving servant. "Please bring us a couple more chairs. Our friend will be joining us and I'm expecting another."

"Sir," the man gave a bow and moved to comply.

"This is not something I'm used to Moka," Tsukune said, waiting for Mizore to be seated. "Castles and servants, formalities…

"There's responsibility being in charge, Tsukune," Mizore explained. Coming from the very ordered society of the snow fairies, etiquettes and protocols were things Mizore learned plenty of growing up. She regularly defied, side-stepped and otherwise flouted several of them, but she was no less aware.

"For being in charge, I seem to get pushed around a lot," Tsukune said, only half joking. He finally finished setting his tie right in his collar.

"Consider it more training," Moka said before sipping her wine.

They ate for a while, Mizore picking over the pickled vegetables before she broke the tranquility of the morning. "Any word from Kurumu? Or my mother?" Mizore stared at her plate. The hurt in her voice made Tsukune stop drinking and set his tea down. Moka grew uncomfortable as well.

Clicking on the flagstone stairs indicated the start of Headmaster Aono's daily briefing was approaching, delivered, as usual, by Ruby Tojo. Tsukune smiled at Mizore and indicated Ruby approaching behind them. Having become the "go to" administrative employee of Yokai Academy's previous headmaster, Mikogami, Ruby was a natural choice to be Tsukune's right hand at the school. Insightful, knowledgeable and totally dedicated, she made herself indispensable to Tsukune when he assumed control of Yokai Academy.

"Headmaster," Ruby said with a bow, arriving at their table. She always called him that now. Were all things equal, she would have availed herself in all ways possible, professionally and intimately for the former human. It was a testament to her masochism and professionalism that while her feelings for Tuskune would never come to fruition, the performance of her duties never faltered. She found purpose making herself Tuskune's to do with as he pleased, or didn't, as the case would be.

Xenophobic regarding humans when they first met her, Ruby proved ironically adept at affecting different, contemporary human appearances, usually with a "naughty" air. That morning she presented herself in the tight pencil mini-skirt, heels and tailored suit shirt and coat of a "sexy secretary". With briefcase and tablet in hand she waited patiently to be acknowledged.

"Good morning Ruby-san," Tsukune said, turning around and standing, gesturing for her to sit in the fourth chair.

Ruby was genuinely delighted to see Mizore and Moka. And wished them both good morning as a tiny, sand blond fairy in a lavender dress alighted from the garden on dragonfly like wings to sit on her shoulder. Another "employee" from the Mikogami era, the fairy, Lilith, seemed not only reformed, but happy in her employ at the Academy. "Good morning Headmaster. Good Morning everyone," she said pleasantly in her smoky voice.

"Issa-kun, did you want to go first?" Tsukune asked, turning to his left. Ruby and Lilith suppressed a gasp. Mizore adjusted her lollipop by hand, visibly impressed. They hadn't seen the older vampire's approach at all, much less take a seat opposite them. Moka and Tsukune shared a smile.

"I'd like to hear was Miss Tojo has for us first," Issa said with a nod to the witch.

Ruby wasted no time. "Ginei and our agent have been in contact." She paused dramatically, her ruby red eyes taking in the group.

"And?" Moka demanded.

Ruby smiled wide, "They've found her. They found Kurumu."

There was a collective sigh from everyone there. Mizore brushed away a tear with her sleeve and received a surprise hug from Moka whose own eyes were glistening and then another from Ruby who was similarly affected. Tsukune, having caught Ruby's tablet when she dropped it, sat back heavily, relieved.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: This Chapter introduces an OC, so you're forewarned. It also sees the return of Nagare Kano, the slug monster from Volume 2 of the manga.

 **Chapter 2:**

 _"No humane being, past the thoughtless age of boyhood, will wantonly murder any creature, which holds its life by the same tenure that he does." ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden_

* * *

Her long hair was a serene blue, the color of twilight. Her eyes shone the rich violet of dawn just before the sun rose. Wearing a simple cocktail dress like a coat of black paint, her compact leanness and enormous breasts stood out on brazen display. She was gregarious, laughing raucously. Ever mischievous and elusive, she enchanted the many men around her, engaging them in conversation, enticing them with girlish playfulness. The woman was like a rising sun centered in a system of revolving satellite men.

She was also incredibly drunk.

Taking his eyes from her, Tomek Zagorski studied the other patrons of the private penthouse club with practiced nonchalance. Men and women of varying wealth mingled easily, talking over cocktails and unafraid to point at the "others" in their midst. The "others" were monsters doing their best to fit in, though his practiced eye picked many of them out. Tomek had never been in a situation where he was literally immersed in a crowd of monsters before. That wasn't normally how his jobs for Headmaster Mikogami ran. But three years ago, Mikogami disappeared after helping take down the super vampire Alucard at Minato Mirai in Japan. The Church had retained Tomek for jobs here and there, but now a younger, inexperienced Headmaster called the shots from Yokai academy. This particular job was difficult, but very personal to Headmaster Tsukune Aono. Plus, the money was good.

The huge man practically busting the seams of his brown suit coat, an arm's length away on Tomek's left, snorted out a harsh laugh and shook his curled beard before tipping back his mug of beer. He and the slim, beak nosed woman he was talking to animatedly were closer to him than he liked. But, if they remained engaged with each other, Tomek felt confident he could proceed. What a Canadian Sasquatch and a Greek Harpy had to talk about wasn't important, as long as they kept doing it.

Intent on his job, his eyes always wandered back to the blue haired beauty as she slipped from one man's lap to another, reeling in every male who noticed her. Tomek knew what she was too, his profession demanded he be aware, but he was still impressed. The young woman had total command of her physicality and coupled it with her personal charm and subtle use of her powers to perfect effect.

Using his drink tumbler as cover, Tomek drained his glass looking sidelong right at the sweaty man near him who had been working the room in a different manner. He knew what this man was as well. It took Tomek a good portion of the evening to identify and then get noticed by him, but his patience paid off. Glances and stares became actual motion as the small Japanese man with weirdly sand colored hair and rumpled tuxedo made his way towards the bar. Finally, Tomek thought, he was going to get his "in".

Tomek set his drink on the mahogany bar top and signaled the bartender over. As he wondered how best to break the ice with the man watching him, he was spared the effort. The man walked right up to him, wheezing.

"I will take care of this round," his voice was high pitched, heavy with phlegm and colored by a slight Japanese accent. "That is, if the gentleman does not mind a monster paying for his drink?"

Tomek's eyebrows raised in mock surprise. He purposely conjured a toothy smile for the smaller man that shone brightly past his brown goatee. Apart from witches, only humans naturally bared their fangs to express friendship. It was a practice some monsters had a hard time with. "I have no objection at all. Thank you very much!"

"Very good." The man proffered a clammy hand which Tomek accepted without blinking. "My name is Nagare Kano," he said, annoyed with the dryness of the large human's powerful grip.

"Tomek," Tomek said simply, pumping through the damp handshake without making a face.

Nagare looked like he expected more, then dropped his hand and nodded. "I understand. You spectators and gamblers wish to protect your anonymity. Believe me, I can appreciate keeping secrets." His small mouth twisted into a mischievous grin. His long hair hid his expression otherwise.

Tomek said nothing, his eyes returning to the woman.

"You like her?" Nagare asked. It was an accusation as much as it was a question. Though he was a monster and more than a match for Tomek, the human's 6 foot frame was piled with slabs of muscle beneath his tailored suit, stoking jealousy Nagare's gelatinous heart. Unconsciously, one of his eyes jutted out on its stalk, indicating the gorgeous blue haired woman.

Generally, Tomek was apathetic to monster quirks and oddities translating into their human forms. For him, they were just methods of identification. Somehow, this was different. Something about Nagare Kano's eyes bothered Tomek and it had nothing to do with the stalk manifesting briefly. Though his sandy bangs lay over his eyes, Nagare unashamedly left his eyeballs in their natural slug aspect. Like sickly green grape skins with a single black dot in each. Nagare Kano was making a statement, albeit in a petty way: he was morally detached from and quietly contemptuous of established ethics of monster human relations.

Tomek started to hate Nagare Kano and he couldn't have that. Dealing with monsters on a mono-a-monstruo basis there was no room for emotion; there had to be objectivity. Emotionalism, hate and fear in particular, opened the door to the fog of instinctual reactions over measured responses. Running away in disgust, screaming in fear, attacking outright, these could not be options.

Tomek simply nodded at the question, sliding Nagare his drink as the bartender brought them both full tumblers. "She's very beautiful and quite the magnet. That man over there is married and his friend is gay. Neither one seems capable of keeping their eyes or hands off of her."

Nagare sat too close and leaned in. He had an earthy, wet dirt kind of scent. "She is a succubus," he bragged. "No man is safe from her charms, monster or human." He stared at the woman with a disturbing mix of lust and contempt. "And she is mine!"

Nagare Kano was a slug monster, a bottom feeder. Tomek wondered what a succubus of this one's physical beauty was doing in the company of a scumbag like him? "She's yours, huh? How long you been at this?" Tomek tipped his drink back, watching Nagare expectantly.

"It is a fair question," Nagare said, leaning back on the bar chair. He stroked the camera he wore around his neck like it was a pet. "Not long. This will be our first tournament," Nagare admitted, sipping at his drink. He smacked his lips and stared at the glass tumbler. Something didn't sit right in his mouth.

"Hm. Mine too. I heard the first one was in Japan." He noticed Nagare take another timid sip. "Drink up, I got the next round." Tomek drained his glass and waved the bartender over. The Asian gentleman in the white tuxedo coat acknowledged him with a nod. He was taking care of a pair of Mexican Nationals, one with mottled skin Tomek silently identified as a werecreature. He leaned back and looked Nagare over. "So, what happened Mr. Kano? You guys get to Hong Kong in time for the Huang family to shut everything down?" Tomek asked conversationally.

Nagare peeled his attention away from the blue haired succubus and focused his unblinking, rotten green grape skin eyes on Tomek. Was this him getting angry, Tomek speculated as the silence stretched thin between them. Nagare slid from his chair in a single motion so smooth he didn't disturb the contents of his glass at all.

"Hold that thought," Tomek said as the bartender walked up to them.

"Sir," the bartender said in anticipation.

"Another Weston for me, whatever this guy wants, and get that woman there an Amaretto Sunrise." Tomek said, gesturing with his chin.

The bartender turned his head, seeking out the spritely woman amidst her growing entourage. "You're buying a drink for her? You'd better get in line. There aren't enough hours in the night for that little girl to drink all the cocktails she has coming."

"Look," irritated, Tomek pointed and then tapped the bar with his finger, "I'm drinking with her manager here. You tell these other cocksuckers they're gonna wait. Get it?" He leaned to his left jerking his thumb over his right shoulder. The bartender leaned to his own left, looking past Tomek. There stood Nagare Kano, sweating.

"You're her manager, huh?" the bartender asked.

Nagare nodded once, his grin returning.

"All right. One chip for the manager and one Amaretto Sunrise compliments of the Second City monkey here."

Tomek frowned, "The accent's a giveaway ain't it?"

The bartender nodded holding up thumb and forefinger, "Just a little. And the Weston." Like a magician, the bartender twisted his hand and produced a white drink chip in his fingers. With a flick of his thumb, he sent it Nagare's way. Tomek reached up, caught the chip and set it on the bar. Nagare saw the bartender give Tomek a grin. Tomek's expression was lost to him.

Nagare sidled up to Tomek, giving him the creeps. He didn't like not hearing the monster's movement. "Monkey? You are a monster?" Nagare asked, evenly.

Tomek waved the bartender's lingering comment away, "Depends who you ask, I guess."

"How did you know about Hong Kong?"

"Everyone here knows about Hong Kong, Mr. Kano," Tomek bluffed.

A bizarre pattern of blackish spots rippled into view beneath Nagare's skin as he grew agitated. He was starting to mistrust and even hate Tomek. "Not everyone knows about the Huang family. We are a long way from China."

"There's a Chinatown in here in Seattle." Tomek saw his humorous comment was lost on Nagare so he took an immediate, different tack. "Put your ear to the ground and you hear things. You of all creatures should know that," Tomek said flatly. "You guys don't travel much."

"No. International travel is still very restricted for monsters," Nagare said, somewhat grim.

"You all made it here," said Tomek.

"We have… powerful friends. There are a number of people who very much want to see this event succeed."

Tomek and Nagare regarded each other coolly. Each had already hinted at the cards they were holding. Tomek wondered if he could get Nagare to tip his hand further. "When you say 'people', you mean humans or monsters?"

"That sounds racist, Mr. Tomek…" Nagare said. He took a threatening step forward.

Before either could go any further, a blue flash lit up the space between them. The woman was so fast she was sitting in Tomek's lap and gripping his face in her hands before he knew what was happening. While her hands were relatively small and her skin soft, the strength in them was clear. Crossing her legs, she snuggled in close, down his legs to Tomek's nether region and leaned in almost forehead to forehead with the human. She smelled like booze soaked lilies of the valley.

Tomek quickly glanced left. The monster pair he was worried about earlier gave the woman a shake of their heads and went back to talking.

"Did Nagare tell you I have shweet tooth?" Even slurring her words, her voice was as sexy as the rest of her, an aural extension of her strut. "That drink wash wonderful!" Her small frame lurched and she gave a "hic-burp". Covering her mouth, she giggled, her cherub cheeks flushing red.

Nagare hadn't known she had a sweet tooth. He filed that piece of information. "Kurumu Kurono, meet… Mr. Tomek," Nagare said diplomatically. He tried masking the irritation in his voice with the positive inflection of his next comment. "I think this human is interested in betting on you in the tournament."

"Oooh," Kurumu teased. "Does he need convincing?" She squeezed his cheeks together until Tomek had fish lips. She was strong. "Look in my eyes," she said.

Tomek afforded himself a glance before averting his eyes. The way her eyes crossed coupled with her slurred her speech, told him she didn't have long before she passed out. Still, he couldn't afford taking a chance on being charmed. Her massive, perfect breasts bulging from her black dress were a ready distraction.

"Silly! Why... won't you look in my eyesh?" Kurumu asked, more playful than annoyed.

Tomek leaned past her face, putting his nose into her long hair by her ribbons and whispered into her ear, "Because I know what you are."

Kurumu turned her head, by instinct attaining the perfect space and whispering at the right pitch to send chills down Tomek's spine into all his extremities; all of them. "Do you? What am I?"

"Very pretty," Tomek whispered.

Kurumu blushed, "Aw. Am I?"

She slid off his lap, her ankles bending this way and that as she rocked on her platform heels.

Nagare addressed Kurumu from the side of his mouth, feigning discretion for a succubus who didn't know the meaning of the word, drunk or sober. "Perhaps you've had enough," he began.

She snapped something unintelligible at Nagare, holding up her forefinger for his silence.

Tomek glimpsed past them to see many of the men, human and monster, awaiting her return. Just as many attendees of the party didn't seem pleased with Kurumu's antics, however. Some he guessed to be monsters he couldn't readily identify; some were impatient wives and girlfriends who didn't fully appreciate what a succubus was capable of. Tomek didn't exactly have a plan how to remove the center of attention from this gathering, but quietly wished she'd hurry up and pass out. It would make things a little easier at least.

She turned to Tomek, her left eye wandering some, "I'll have another one of thosh. Thanksh!"

The bartender had been watching and responded as soon as Tomek gave him a nod. Just like that, Kurumu strutted away, looking coyly over her shoulder once to make sure Tomek watched her hypnotic saunter. He obliged her.

Tomek pointed at Nagare and waved him over. He leaned in close, his nose wrinkling at the wet, earthy smell of the monster. "She weighs ninety five soaking wet if she weighs an ounce. And a third of that is in her boobs!" he snapped harshly. "You're making her fight? Have you looked around this room at all?"

Nagare's smile returned, genuine and rapacious. "Believe me Mr. Tomek, I have felt the bite of her claws. She is a succubus and a veteran of Minato Mirai."

A veteran himself, Tomek was legitimately impressed and let it show on his face. Almost three years ago, Minato Mirai in Yokohama Japan was where the racial imagination of a nation suddenly took shape in the form of a gigantic, monster vampire. It was the forced foundation of public, worldwide human-monster relations outside of the predator and prey dynamic that had defined the species' interactions since ancient times.

The sounds of discord behind them on the other side of the oval bar attracted their attention. United by curiosity, Nagare and Tomek both turned to see what had tainted the atmosphere. Next to Tomek, the huge, bearded man and very narrow woman with a beak like nose also watched keenly.

Kurumu's group of admirers felt the vibe sour as well. Some of them unconsciously backed into a ring around her and the young man laughing in her face. Probably in his very late teens or early twenties at the most, the young man had reached his liver's limit where even a succubus' charm couldn't keep him in line. New money, west coast tech money, whatever his background he had neither the class nor control to keep his mouth from running.

"So…blue hair huh!" the young man said, slapping a hand on Kurumu's shoulder in a harsh, familiar gesture. Her eyes cooled off and her mouth became a tiny, tense line making her seem instantly sober. "Tell me babe," the man went on, "does the carpet match the drapes?" His hand dropped out of sight and Kurumu jumped with a squeak. He laughed harshly at his own vulgarity. Except for a few snickers there was almost no rejoinder from the crowd.

"Does yours?" Kurumu asked sweetly. She held up her hand and foot long claws erupted into being from her fingernails. "Let's find out!" In less time it took the man to gasp, she had cut off his coif, the hair dropping to his nose and shredded the front of his pants, exposing his 'tighty-whities' underneath. He had just enough time enough to grab his junk in both hands and scream before Kurumu cut him short, punching him in the face. Sprawling backward, the man fell over a chair and landed with a 'thunk' on the floor.

"Oh no!" barked the huge man sitting on the other side of Tomek.

The dark eyed, beak nosed woman next to him positively rippled with excitement. "Did she draw blood? If she drew blood from a human it's over for her! She's out!" She and the huge man got up and moved left away from Tomek and Nagare to see what happened.

Tomek spun to take in Nagare's reaction. Hands shaking, the monster's teeth were gritted so tightly Tomek though they might shatter.

This was his cue. With the group's eyes now on Kurumu's commotion, he had to act quickly. He could extract her without drawing attention if he moved fast. With luck, he could teach sweaty little Nagare Kano his place as well. Tomek noticed the large, muscle bound guards at every exit were suddenly looking for an opening or reason to insert themselves into the situation. Many of them touched their ears or spoke into mics on their collars. No one seemed to know how to approach this unexpected altercation.

It was now or never!

Quick as he could, he launched himself at Nagare. With everyone surging towards the moaning human and laughing Kurumu, Tomek's sudden move was lost in the motion of the mob. Putting a strong arm around Nagare's shoulder, ignoring the dampness of his tuxedo coat, he grabbed the drink in Nagare's hand. Forcefully, Tomek shoved drink-in-hand into Nagare's face.

"You didn't finish your drink! No orphans!"

Stunned that a human would even think to assault a monster like him, Nagare gasped and the drink slammed into the back of his throat, making him gag. The glass rang off his teeth.

"I-I knew I tasted… ugh…" The effect was graphic and immediate. Nagare lurched his head one way while much of his face and his eye stalks lurched the other. "S-s-salt…" he breathed, before his lips curled like dried fruit.

Tomek spun him around leading him towards the exit, away from Kurumu's commotion. "Yeah, it was at the bottom of the glass. But I can't wait anymore!"

"Bastard!" Nagare convulsed again and his eyes popped from their sockets, dangling on flailing stalks. They rolled to focus on Tomek.

"Where are you two going?"

A thickly muscled man a full head taller than Tomek crossed his meaty arms over a massive chest and blocked the way out. Tomek glanced around to make sure he still benefited from the cover of the commotion. He cursed quietly. From across the room, someone was staring right at them. The whites of the woman's eyes shown bright against her near ebony skin. She wore a white silk wrap denoting her wealth. Tomek couldn't tell if she was a monster or human, but she was very beautiful in a regal sort of way. There was nothing he could do but move forward with his actions, between her and this doorman, no one else seemed to notice Nagare and Tomek.

"My friend's been sent into an egg laying frenzy," Tomek told the door man with a slightly panicked voice that was easy to feign. Nagare gave a body wide shudder as if on cue.

"What?" The doorman demanded.

"The hors d'oeuvres, the alcohol… it's all new to his monster physiology. If I don't get him to his room we're all going to be ankle deep in slug eggs."

The guard was clearly put off, but he wasn't stupid. "'His' room? HE lays eggs?"

Tomek quietly cursed himself before plowing ahead, "It's whatever gender it needs to be to reproduce. It might just crap out a room full of eggs then shoot its own wad all over them!"

Nagare started foaming at the mouth pushing the doorman over the edge. "Fine, get the hell out of here!" He touched the microbead in his ear, "We've got problems enough already!"

"Thanks," Tomek said gruffly, heaving Nagare through the door as the guard held it open. When the door was shut behind them, Tomek slammed Nagare into the wall, hard.

"Give me your manager credentials!"

"Human s-scum!" Nagare's crossed eyestalks focused on Tomek. "You are messing with the wrong monster!" Nagare gasped, seeing the white bar chip in Tomek's hand. The human ground it up and rubbed it all over his hands. With a feeling of dread Nagare knew it was salt. He also surmised the bartender and Tomek knew one another.

"Look, you slimy prick, I don't want to mess with you at all! Just give me your credentials and you get to go back to Japan and slide under the rock you came from!"

Convulsions rocked Nagare Kano's human form again as the salt tortured him inside and outside. Tomek boxed either side of Nagare's neck where his gas stalks were, before he roughly grabbed him. "Why?" Nagare asked angrily through the pain. If only he could bring his stalks out, he could gas this human to death. Somehow, Tomek knew exactly how to hurt him...

Bracing himself, Tomek spun on his heels, whipping Nagare around and slamming him into the door at the end of the hallway. At 6'1" with a weight lifter's physique, Tomek could hold his own in a fight. But throwing Nagare's dead, damp weight around was no small task.

"Why are you d-d-doing this, human?" Nagare squeeled.

"Because that woman has friends who want her back! I don't know how she ended up with a bottom feeding scumbag like you, but this stops now!"

Nagare laughed and Tomek punched him with a salted fist. His eye stalks rattled and retracted, his gas releasing stalks contracted inside his head, his legs buckled dropping him to the carpet and still he laughed! Horrible, high pitched and phlegmy, the sound of it repulsed Tomek and enraged him. "You are so… SO in over your head… you are so wrong about… everything!" Nagare breathed out, wheezing.

"Am I?" Tomek rifled through Nagare's pockets. He was used to monsters saying that sort of thing in his line of work.

"Sh-she came to me! To me! Hear me, human?" Nagare's tone bordered on frantic.

Tomek made a face and stepped on Nagare's head. He'd located what he needed. Frankly, what Nagare said might be true, but it didn't concern him necessarily. Extracting the target is what he was there for. Having acquired Nagare Kano's manager credentials allowed him to do that. The rest of it all existed well outside the scope of what his employer paid him to do, as far as Tomek was concerned. Monsters, wealthy humans, a tournament, hopping the Pacific… This whole situation was spiraling more and more out of his control and Tomek didn't like what he started to believe.

"Sh-she wants to die Human. She's a broken-hearted succubus... But she can't do it herself. So, she wants to be in the games… in the ring!" Nagare almost looked comical as his lips stretched to speak from beneath Tomek's shoe.

Tomek stood back from Nagare and pondered a moment, wiping sweat off his brow, getting salt in his high and tight hair. This wasn't over, he needed to get back into the nightclub area. Absently, he brushed his hands off and let the salt fall on Nagare who convulsed again. "Ahh…. Stop it! Don't kill me!"

"Kill you?" Tomek asked, snapping out of his thoughts. "I told you, you get to go back to Japan. I didn't say you'd be going back dead. Let's get you to a bath tub." He reached down and scooped up the monster from under its armpits. "Listen. You leave this hotel after your bath. You don't come back. I will provide you with an airline ticket and a ride to the airport. Never come back to North America again. Understand?"

Impotent rage brought slimy tears to Nagare's eyes and foam dripped from his wrinkled lips. "What… what about Kurumu?"

"She's my problem now." Tomek said grimly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _"Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled, or distracted, the leader must be doubly vigilant." – Colin Powell_

* * *

Tsukune set his briefcase down on the monstrous desktop and pushed it towards the right edge. He glanced about the enormous office. Normally, he did not like the shades and blinds closed as his predecessor had, but today, all the windows were covered and candles lit the cavernous space.

A mere pace and a half behind him, Rubi scuttled out of the way on her heels, allowing Issa Shuzen to move smoothly past her and stand ready in the shadows beyond the desk. The bluish light cast by her tablet screen went out as she slipped it into her briefcase, procuring her hefty wand and standing at the ready.

Tsukune spoke quietly to the two acolytes in black cassocks after they finished lighting the candles around the room. "Thank you. All the barriers are in place?" They nodded at the question. Tsukune nodded once as well, "We're not to be disturbed. I will be in time to address the incoming freshmen."

Bowing their heads in affirmation, they spun on their heels to leave the office. Each grabbed one of the thick wooden doors and pulled it closed as they exited, leaving Mizore revealed where she had been hiding behind the right door when it was open. Spotted, she shifted nervously from one foot to the other. Her and Tsukune locked eyes and he smiled kindly at her, waving her to come out of the shadows and join them. The admiration in her eyes sparkled like sun off of ice. A glance at Issa was all Tsukune needed to do to deflect any of his criticism. He suspected correctly Issa was not keen on the idea of so many people being allowed into the Headmaster's inner sanctum, family or no.

"Where's Moka?" Mizore asked quietly.

"Moka is addressing the staff at the Yokai Primary School," Tsukune said. His business manner began melting away as he discussed Moka. "She's taken a special interest in that age group since we graduated the academy." Tsukune and Mizore shared a meaningful look, aware of Moka's own emotional trials at that age after having spent time accidentally trapped in her Rosario that held her sealed memories.

"The children love her," Ruby chimed in. She smiled nervously at Issa. Standing in the darkness, even in a relaxed setting, his monster aura was unmistakably a vampire's, with all of its overwhelming aggression. Regardless, he smiled genuinely back at her.

"We should get started, they'll be waiting." Tsukune placed his hand on a slightly discolored desktop panel. A shoebox sized platform of crystals and knobs married in a strange blend of magic and technology rotated up from inside the desk. Ruby head was practically next to Tsukune's as she grinned over his shoulder. Meeting Mizore's questioning gaze, she spoke quietly. "It's a communication interface. Untraceable and undetectable. It uses magic and technology alternately to confuse trackers."

"Yukari's idea," Tsukune said with undisguised admiration for the young witch. At his touch, several of the crystals began to glow and archaic needles they were attached to spiked and bobbed in their displays. More modern L.E.D. lights also lit up along the panel's surface.

"I would rather my likeness not be captured," Issa announced, stepping further back into the shadows. Tsukune nodded, understanding his aversion. Issa was an assassin by trade after all.

Two indistinct voices started coming into clarity as a glowing ball of light appeared atop Tsukune's desk. Growing louder, it sounded like two people arguing. As the light expanded outward in small fits, like a baby bird kicking out of an eggshell, an illuminated Yukari Sendo suddenly formed from the shapeless mass, standing above Tsukune's desk. Dressed in a dark silk Cheongsam mini dress, she still sported her cape, if not her oversized hat, Yukari was clearly no longer the "runt" of the group. In her late teens, she was blossoming into the physical body she had hoped for when she was a much younger, accelerated student at Yokai Academy.

Yukari's three-dimensional image took in everyone she could see and waved cheerfully. "Hi Tsukune! Hello Moka!" The doors to the office had parted and Moka slipped between them before they were hurriedly closed behind her.

Moka sidled up next to Tsukune and gave Yukari's image a smile. She also acted as a subtle, but irresistible wedge, inching Ruby away from Tsukune. Ruby submissively complied, still waving at Yukari as the introductions continued to include Mizore. Tsukune glanced sidelong at Issa. Of course, the vampire was staring at him, he thought. He'd allowed the niceties to go on for too long.

"Yukari, is Fang Fang with you?" Tsukune asked brusquely, ending the girls' small talk.

"Sure is, Tsukune."

"I told you he needed to talk to me…" Fang Fang came into view on Tsukune's desk from the knees up. Barely taller than Yukari now that she had grown, he hadn't changed much at all, his long black hair in a tight braid, dressed as ever in a bright cheongsam. "Hello Tsukune, and a good day to your remaining wives." Yukari hit him making him start.

Tsukune put a hand behind his head, a little embarrassed. He was flanked my Mizore and Ruby and Moka was at his side. With Yukari in China, essentially living with Fang Fang, the young Yasha's comment made sense. With Kurumu still not back in Japan, it was also incredibly insensitive.

"Well, good news first then," Tsukune said, recovering. "Ginei and our American contact have found Kurumu."

Yukari gasped and clasped her hands together, blushing. "She's in the United States? We were so worried when we descended on that underground arena in Hong Kong!" she said, tears welling. Fang Fang hugged her from behind. Tsukune, Moka and Mizore all noted that Yukari grabbed Fang Fang's hand and snuggled into him. They had clearly grown closer in China at the Huang estate.

"We can't be certain she was there! I wish we could…" Fang Fang began, releasing Yukari.

Tsukune held up his hand. "We know she was there. There were quite a few other monsters there as well. The rumors we had heard about such an event happening in Japan were also true. We found the remains of where it was held on the opposite end of the mainland, so we didn't reach it in time to stop any of it."

"What are they all doing anyway?" Yukari asked. "When we broke up the party, it looked like some kind of gladiatorial combat was going to happen."

Tsukune shrugged, "If this was a legitimate event, I doubt they'd be using underground venues like they have been. The site we raided sounds very much like what you described in Hong Kong."

"There were no means of broadcasting anything from the Hong Kong site," Fang Fang concurred. "Not by magic or human media. Also, one of the monsters we captured was from Africa."

"Africa?" Tsukune and Ruby said together.

"Mm-mm," Fang Fang nodded. "He called himself a Kongamato. But he… disposed of himself before we could question him. I am sorry Tsukune."

Tsukune was deep in thought, distracted enough not to hear Fang Fang's apology.

"What is it Tsukune?" Moka asked, gripping his shoulder.

He lowered his voice and drew Moka closer, "The Church had an artifact stolen from a shrine in South Africa." Over his shoulder, he knew Fang Fang was complaining about having Tsukune turn his back on him. "It has significant power and even though the missionaries held onto it, Mikogami's Sanction in Tanzania was the only person authorized to use it."

Moka gazed evenly at him, "Tsukune, they are your Sanctions now."

A lump formed in Tsukune's stomach. "I wonder if she's…" He recovered and turned back around, hoping Yukari and Fang Fang didn't see how shaken up he was. As much as he and his friends had been through, he hated losing anyone to violence or his own mistakes.

"Ah, there you are Tsukune," Fang Fang said by way of excusing the headmaster's rudeness stepping away from the magic receptors of the desk.

Tsukune stared at his two friends' images on his desktop and his nervousness increased. He couldn't shield them all the way in China from where he was at Yokai Academy. It grated on his sense of protectiveness towards his friends, much like Kurumu's absence made him feel helpless in a way he tried not to let cripple his decision making. It seemed, no matter how much he grew, how hard he trained, how much he learned, it was never enough! Despite his mounting internal turmoil, Tsukune kept his feelings hidden, standing stoically, readying his next words with care. Moka was not fooled. Gripping his right hand in hers, she threw her left arm around him, out of sight of the desk receiver and pressed into him. "Tsukune," she whispered, letting him know she knew.

He took a short breath and exhaled quietly. Looking down at Moka's red eyes and the small nod she gave him was enough to restore his composure.

"Our agent reported a significant, international monster presence in the Northwestern United States," Tsukune went on. "Here at Yokai we haven't detected any major portal usage. We haven't seen any new tunnel networks branching off our own or independently constructed."

"There was extensive teleportation and portal usage to escape my family," Fang Fang said, recalling the raid on the underground Kumite style ring they had discovered. "But all of it confined to China…"

"There must have been a rallying point before they all traveled to America." Yukari speculated.

"That doesn't sound possible," Ruby chimed in. "That would mean chartered boats or flights, and how could that many monsters be moved internationally in the current political climate?" She said referencing the myriad of negotiations and treaties being drawn up, torn up and renegotiated as humanity and monster kind worked out how to deal with one another openly.

"I say again Ruby, there was no teleportation or portals out of China," Fang Fang insisted.

"We're missing something," Tsukune agreed. "The tournament in Japan went off in secret… at least from us."

"You're implying a human component to this," Yukari observed thoughtfully. "A conspiracy of some kind?"

"What would they gain?" Mizore asked stepping closer to the desk.

Tsukune thought a moment in silence, trying to draw any connection he could. The people he had been introduced to that had a relationship with headmaster Mikogami struck him as upstanding people, not given to exploiting monsters for the sake of entertainment in gladiatorial combat. "Our agent in America discovered Kurumu was working with Nagare Kano…" he said, throwing the fact out there.

"What?" Yukari exclaimed. "That blackmailing creep from our freshman year?"

"He's on his way back to Japan now." Ruby confirmed.

"I can meet him Tsukune," Mizore offered, stepping closer to the desk into the illuminated visages of Fang Fang and Yukari. "I can freeze the information out of him, or put him on ice and bring him here. If he had Kurumu, he may know where my mother has gone as well."

Tsukune swallowed at her comment. "Mizore… The Shuzen family can secure us Nagare Kano. I want you here…"

"Where I'm safe, is that it," Mizore asked evenly.

"There's something happening Mizore. Something big, I can sense it." Tsukune said to her before addressing all of them. "We don't know enough to make any major moves yet. The Shuzen family will bring Nagare Kano to us. Fang Fang and Yukari, you have to investigate from your end. Find out how those monsters left China for America. Fang Fang is right, if this was a genuine joint venture of Monster Human cooperation for entertainment or culture exchange… it wouldn't be so covert…." He trailed off.

"What is it Tsukune?" Yukari asked.

"I have reports that an assassin with ties to Fairytale arrived in Japan, and then disappeared. He came here by way of magic…"

Fang Fang frowned, sharing a confused look with Yukari, "Fairytale! From China?"

"No, from Sakhalin, the Russian island. If you could look into that as well?"

"You can count on us Tsukune!" Fang Fang said with a bow.

Yukari bowed as well, "We'll get right on it. Please call us the moment Kurumu is back!"

"I will," Tsukune smiled and put his hand behind his head in a familiar relaxed gesture. He squeezed Moka's hand with his other. "My agent in the United States is especially good, and he has great help. They'll get her home safely very soon I am sure."

"Fang Fang and Yukari waved as the image began to break up. "Goodbye, love you guys!" Yukari exclaimed as her image rolled down into a small ball of plasmid energy that dissipated quietly. The room was plunged into semidarkness, lit only by candles.

"Tsukune, what is a 'Sanction'?" Mizore asked, breaking the silence.

Tsukune untangled himself from Moka and moved closer to the desk, leaning on it. "Headmaster Mikogami was a planner, Mizore. I'm just beginning to grasp the scale of it all, now that I have his job. He had friends all over the world. This clandestine group he called the Sanctions. When monsters hurt, or kill humans, if they cause major incidents, Mikogami would deploy a Sanction to either arrest the monster or…"

No one spoke, and Tsukune let it hang there. Several edgy glances were exchanged. Changing direction, Tsukune pressed on. "It's this office's responsibility to give the active Sanction all the information and resources they need to be able to accomplish their task."

Mizore's lollipop drooped from her lower lip as she gummed it, her brow furrowed. "What are you trying to tell me Tsukune? Is my mother one of these Sanctions?"

Tsukune shook his head. "No, no Mizore."

"But she is working for you, isn't she?"

Feeling a little cornered in his own office, Tsukune nodded finally. "Your mother is doing undercover work for me."

"You kept this from me… Why?"

"She's helping to find Kurumu…"

Mizore interrupted him, "And I couldn't have done this work for you?"

Mizore's tone was degenerating into an anxiety filled rage they hadn't heard from her since she had decided to actually attend school freshman year. Much like then, Tsukune managed to let her down in her mind. Recognizing her mounting aggravation, Tsukune and Moka turned to face her square on. Ruby froze, taken aback. Issa remained in the shadows, watching carefully.

"Mizore, I wanted…"

"Kurumu is like a sister to me!" With the sound of a dozen knives being drawn past steel, Mizore's ice claws appeared and her ice glazed over.

"I-I didn't want anyone else…"

"To get hurt? To leave?"

Tsukune raised his hands, "Exactly. I was only trying to protect…"

"So, you put my mother in danger and you think I'm helpless!" Ice daggers flew from her sleeves striking the floor at Tsukune's feet, piercing the wood. The temperature immediately around them began dropping significantly as Mizore's ire increased.

Moka stepped purposely on the ice shards, shattering them as she stood in front of Tsukune. Her mounting irritation seemed to cause a wind in the locked office, moving her hair as if caught in a breeze.

Then, Tsukune did something he almost never did intentionally, but he truly did not want to argue or say something he'd regret, especially not with one of his dearest friends. Being human originally, his monster presence, or yoki was not exactly like other pure bred monsters. Much like the monstrels, children of unnatural monster combinations or inbreeding, Tsukune could mask his monster presence entirely as if he were just an ordinary human. Because of the heritage forced on him from infusions of Alucard's First Ancestor blood and the alteration of his physical make up by the old Yasha, Tohou Fahai, enabling him to channel magic, and the training he received from Issa Shuzen, Tsukune was no ordinary vampire. He was more than just a dhampir. He was something… else. Sensing his monster presence was like standing at the foot of a mighty dam, knowing it held back sheer power, overwhelming and devastating should the merest crack in the dam manifest.

In this moment, Tsukune opened a "floodgate" on that proverbial dam, just a hair, to remind everyone he was in no mood to argue. The effect on his eyes was unavoidable, his round pupils went vertical, slashing his red irises down the center. The change in the room was palpable and the candles seem to burn lower suddenly.

"That is enough!" his voice was low, rumbling across the floor, making the timbers creek overhead.

Ruby and Mizore gasped, both reaching instinctively to protect their throats as the vampirical aura oppressed them. Tears flooded to bursting in Mizore's eyes, amplifying the betrayal in them. She glanced at Moka who was eyeing Tsukune warily, her fangs slightly bared. Her savage visage didn't mask the approval in her eyes. Over Tsukune's shoulder, Issa cracked a grin.

"You really are one of them now…aren't you?" Mizore asked quietly, a tear breaking through her lower lashes to slide down her cheek. Tsukune said nothing, glancing quickly at Issa and then Moka who relaxed back to his side now that his temper was cooling off.

"I understand you're in charge here 'Headmaster'," Mizore said bitterly, regaining her composure. "But just because you have power now doesn't mean you can rule all of our lives. We're not children anymore." She spun about and walked up the stairs to leave. As she reached the top stair, the doors opened quickly, the two acolytes sweeping in looking every which way. They had also felt Tsukune's expression of power even through the shielded doors of the office.

Mizore looked back over her shoulder, clearly hurt. Tsukune still said nothing. She left.

"Well, that certainly ended the argument," Moka said dryly.

Together they looked at Ruby. The witch exhaled sharply, surprising them. Flushed red from head to toe, she had been holding her breath. Given her proclivity for masochism, the fear he caused probably turned her on, Tsukune surmised. He turned away from her while she regained her composure.

Finally, Issa stepped forward as the acolytes began opening the blinds and shades. "Your friend is hurt, but her observation isn't unreasonable, Tsukune." He held up a hand to stay Moka's objection. "Maybe you've been too long under the tutelage of a vam…"

"Don't say that," Tsukune cut Issa off; something else he never did. He refused to second guess the invaluable relationship he had with his mentor and son to be father-in-law. Perhaps Mizore had a point and his manner had become more like that of the vampires. If so, Tsukune would find a way to temper his aggression and power so as not to hurt the people he cared about. But he would not show weakness in front of Issa.

"It takes roughly ten hours for a jet to cross the Pacific from America to Japan," Tsukune said. "We may still be able to catch this Nagare at the airport."

Issa nodded. "We'll make it happen. We're also watching his last known residence in the human world."

"I'll deal with Mizore," Moka said abruptly. "Ruby, you're with me." Ruby took a shuddering breath, trying to mask her adoring expression at Tsukune as she came forward.

"Moka, you need access to school records?"

"We'll go through his school files, maybe there's something there that will give us a clue as to where we can find him if he slips past the Shuzen family." Moka said grimly. He father didn't question her. "With any luck, we'll discover something worthwhile and Mizore can feel better about the whole situation."

They all shared a quiet nod as they broke up to pursue their work. Tsukune adjusted his suit, grabbed his briefcase and mounted the stairs to leave, meeting a flustered Ms. Nekonome before the cat woman reached his office doors. "The freshmen are all assembled in the gym!" she announced in her sing-song voice.

"Let's go Ms. Nekonome," Tsukune said flatly.

"Oh…meow…is everything all right, sir?"

It felt weird having his old homeroom teacher call him that, but that was the least of Tsukune's discomforts. He'd hurt Mizore's feelings and essentially threatened her by exercising his power. One of the agents he inherited from Headmaster Mikogami was very likely dead and a powerful artifact she used, missing. Issa Shuzen informed him a Fairytale assassin, something the Shuzen family normally dealt with, was now lost to their eyes in Japan. A very diverse collection of monsters and humans were traveling the Pacific en masse and out of his reach, engaged in some kind of combat venue he couldn't fathom the reason for. The one contact they'd secured killed himself rather than discuss it with Fang Fang and Yukari. Nagare Kano was returning, hopefully with some answers. And, on top of it all, Kurumu, while found, was still not on her way back to Japan…

Tsukune took in Ms. Nekonome as she fretted over his perceived mood and gave her a grin. "Everything's fine. Just… some mornings it'd be better to just stay in bed," he conceded.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _"Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect."_ – Margaret Mitchel

* * *

 _Tsukune leaned over, clinking his champagne glass against hers. He whispered his devotion to her. They tipped back their glasses but held one another's eyes as they set their drinks down and resumed dining…_

 _Walking together on the glass bottomed observation deck of the cruise ship was like strolling together through starlight. The downtown skyline outside and moonlight dancing atop the waves below set alight the entire walkway with a soft iridescence. She leaned into Tsukune, throwing an arm around him to hug him closer and felt him squeeze her hand…_

 _Clad only in a sheet she held loosely around herself, she stood at the monstrous window overlooking the cityscape. Dark purple clouds like nighttime remnants being torn apart, lit on fire as the sun rose. Behind her Tsukune stirred in the massive bed under piles of blankets in the coolness of the room. "The best night of my life and the perfect sunrise," she said, fancifully drifting through her memory of every moment from the previous day until this flawless sunrise. Well, almost perfect. "Tsukune, let's watch the sun come up." Kurumu said, turning to beckon him over._

 _She gasped, and bile leapt to burn the back of her throat._

 _Moka uncoiled snakelike from Tsukune who dropped lifeless from her pale arms. Her red eyes ablaze with triumph, her fangs glistening and bloody. Bile in her throat, scorched its way to the back of her teeth. The sun broke the horizon at that moment and the whole bed burst into flames!_

* * *

Kurumu woke to mercilessly slapping Venetian blinds being drawn open. Sunlight slammed into her closed eyelids, shining right through them as an orange glow that seared away the fragments of her dream. She moaned desperately. Who could be that cruel? Her throat was on fire and full of acid. Tears ran out of the edges of her eyes from the stinging and her nostrils contracted making it hard to breathe past her dry tongue. She was seriously hung-over and on the verge of being seriously sick.

"N-no…" she groaned, dizzily trying to sit up. "Don't take pictures of… me like this…" Kurumu waved her hand to ward off the flash she anticipated. She had overwhelmed her succubus physiology and gotten so drunk, that perverted slug monster Nagare Kano was sure to gloat. He would undoubtedly take plenty of pictures, preserving this humiliation in time for whatever nefarious purpose his fluidic brain could concoct. Feeling nauseous and aggravated, she wondered if he'd dressed her up in one of his fantasy outfits before letting her crash finally.

Ultimately, Kurumu didn't care. It was a common enough occurrence in the last few months. Ever since Tsukune and Moka… "Oh Tsukune…" she whined, her tears changing to sadness. "And Moka," a prolonged whimper followed the name of her best friend from her lips. Taking a breath, thinking of the two of them, from her dream, from reality, from the past, made her stomach flip.

She wretched, wondering how she could swallow in reverse repeatedly, until giving up and letting her stomach dictate what happened next. Lurching forward, Kurumu vomited profusely. Crying at the same time, her strained voice sang out a droning, mournful lament that echoed around her ears as the sunlight was finally cut off. She recoiled from the stench of her own alcohol soaked mess and fall back into the pillows. It was a good thing that bucket was appeared right there for her, she thought.

Taking in a shuddering breath triggered a long, dry throated yawn. Her throbbing eyeballs and tongue were cotton dry, a fish hook behind her nose and was trying to pull her face inside out. At least, that's how it felt. Rubbing her eyes, she stretched and settled back into the veritable nest of pillows supporting her…

Nest of pillows?

Kurumu reached over her head and poked at the feathery softness embracing her. "What's going on?" she asked herself out loud. Her room was a small efficiency in a motel. There never was a nest of pillows to settle back into. "Doesn't smell right either…" She scented roses with a hint of bleach instead of an intense commercial disinfectant fighting hidden mold. More intriguing, someone had clearly been cooking, and getting it right, whatever they were working on. But the small room Nagare had secured for her didn't have kitchen facility! It was literally a couple of beds and a marginally clean bathroom.

Where was she?

Kurumu had to open her eyes! Her first attempt was a dismal failure. Her head lolled a little on her neck and she laid back, taking a deeper breath. This time her eyes came open and rolled back into her head. At that same moment, her stomach did its own flip, throwing up its contents into her mouth. Burning the back of her nose and tongue, she released again, croaking pitifully as she vomited into that handy bucket that suddenly appeared a second time.

The mattress next to her left leg compressed under a substantial weight. Someone large sat down too close to her. Holding the edges of the bucket with both hands for dear life, she breathed heavily in short gasps, aware that she couldn't have possibly held her hair back…and yet, it fell back around her face from being held back. "What the hell… Who's… Did you touch my hair!" Kurumu couldn't decide if she was happy or afraid when the wet, moldy earth stench of Nagare never materialized. Feeling cornered gave her the impetus to finally pry open her eyes and focus.

"Who are you?" Meaning to bark a challenge, her voice was a dry croak. Kurumu hadn't even focused on the man sitting by her yet. He was double Nagare's size, but not unpleasantly so. Very probably a human, he was taller than Kurumu by a full foot and probably more than double her weight. His eyes were green and intense, like he was ready to laugh, or pounce, or attack… she couldn't be sure. With his brown hair cropped in a high and tight, he looked like a soldier, but his brown goatee contradicted that description.

"G'morning, Sunrise." The man's accent was harsh. He seemed vaguely familiar, but Kurumu couldn't place him. In a move, so shocking and uncouth to her, Kurumu could only stare in utter shock, the man produced a damp hotel washcloth and wiped her cheeks and mouth. He sat with his left side to her, his right arm out of her sightline.

What was he hiding? She heard the wet landing of the wash cloth in the garbage pail he held out of site. Oh, so that was where the bucket came from, she realized.

Why was he partially undressed? His collared shirt hung open, an untied tie dangled around his neck and his suit coat was open as well. That suggested he may be from the party last night. At least, Kurumu assumed it was last night. She had no sense of time or place. She knew she had indiscriminately charmed an entire bar room full of men, much to the chagrin of the wives and girlfriends present. But even in her deepest alcohol catatonia she had never invited anyone back to her room! So, how this green eyed, burly stranger found his way into her room left her feeling disturbed and somewhat fearful. Kurumu wasn't there for that sort of liaison. For her, romantic entanglements and even one night hook-ups were a non-issue. Kurumu's heart had been left back on the Japanese islands, under the heel of her best friend, discarded by the prize of their now defunct rivalry, Tsukune Aono. She no longer sought a "Mate-of-Fate" or a "Destined" anything. That had been taken from her. There could be no replacement.

He noticed her gazing at his state of undress. "Oh, I figured I'd get dressed. You've been in and out of it. But, the puking stopped finally so I figured it was safe to get my suit on." he explained pleasantly.

Peeking past the man to see if Nargare was there taking pictures, Kurumu gasped. "This is not… definitely not my room!" Her eyes dilated and she brought her knees up protectively to her chest. Kurumu wasn't even sure this was the same hotel! Where the hell was she? Panicked, eyes tearing up again, she fought the hangover to remember everything she could about last night.

Wait… did this human call her 'Sunrise'?

Kurumu's hand went to her ear where the charm still resided as an earring. A gift from her friend Yukari Sendo, it enabled her to understand and be understood in other languages. Her younger friend had truly blossomed into a remarkable magical engineer. The charm made her fingertips tingle, letting her know it was still active.

"Why…why did you call me 'Sunrise'?" she demanded in a shaking voice. She may have been as far away from Tsukune as she ever had been, but she never intended… A cold feeling of revulsion and self-loathing crept into her mind. Disgusted, she looked the stranger up and down and then at herself. Oh no…

He noticed her distress and guessed by the anxiety in her face and manner what was upsetting her. "Your blue hair, those violet eyes, and a little strip of yellow on your lips like the sun coming up. Of course, that's probably stomach fluid…" She gaped at him, horrified. "I was kid… never mind." He changed his approach, talking quieter. "If it helps, you spent the night alone. I slept in the other room. Maybe I checked on you once or twice."

That helped considerably. Kurumu stopped listening to him, shut her eyes and exhaled, leaning far back into the embrace of the pile of pillows. He seemed to take that as a cue to walk out of her room. To say she was relieved was an understatement. Even now, her "innocence" was intact. Unheard of for succubae her age, it even set her apart from much of humankind.

"Hey! Sunrise, wake up," said his voice. Kurumu hadn't even known she drifted off…

"A couple things," the man was sitting next to her again. "I normally recommend a Bloody Mary with a big, greasy breakfast to treat a hangover." He smiled and turned away from her. Something rattled on the other side of him. "But, I'm human and an American."

When he turned back towards Kurumu, it was with a bed tray laden with food in his hands. Her eyes shot open and her nostrils flared; this explained the scents that helped wake her up. He looked at her and then her knees meaningfully. In keeping with the moment, Kurumu let them drop. Dutifully, he set the tray down and slid it towards her.

"We got broiled salmon, Okayu with these apricot looking things…"

Kurumu actually gasped seeing the umeboshi next to the rice porridge. More than a little overwhelmed, she gawked at the food, at the human and back again as he kept talking.

"The Miso soup is still hot… well, it's warm anyway. I made the tamagoyaki a little sweeter…and here…" The man lifted a dessert plate into view. "This is a berry crepe I made to practice before tackling that tamagoyaki thing. There might be some brandy in the batter. Anyway, let me get out of your hair." He stood up slowly, careful not disrupt the tray of food or Kurumu where she sat, open mouthed, watching him. She checked her hair, flushing very red. It felt like a matted, twisted disaster.

Then, her stomach grumbled sharply.

The man leaned down, setting a pair of chopsticks into Kurumu's open right hand. Her mouth closed and she sort of stared at nothing. The further the man walked away from her the more of the room she could take in. Kurumu had her own bedroom slightly raised from the rest of the suite visible through the door. It's size defied the confines of the doorway to showcase it. To her right, a wall of walk in closets and a door to a private bath. To her left, large picture windows looked out on the ocean and some of the Seattle skyline.

Foreign travel to luxury accommodations with someone doting on her every need and want… the likes of which Kurumu dreamed about for what seemed like forever. Truthfully, as a succubus, it wouldn't be all that hard to attain. Her mother certainly had, at least in Japan. Men fell in and out of that woman's clutches as easily as clothing in a closet being rifled through. And she discarded her men just the same.

Kurumu wasn't like that. Not anymore. A special boy had broken her of that outlook with his kindness and courage. Years later, he'd broken her dream of him being her "Destined One" by finally choosing the end everyone had seen coming, but no one wanted to admit was inevitable. And that's why she was here? She wondered. An ocean away in a luxury hotel being catered to by a large American with a harsh accent she met who-knows-where, with an apparent knack for cooking and more than a little money.

"Most important part is at the top of the tray," the man said, turning back around and pointing. "Aspirins and orange juice. Take them! As good for monsters and they are for humans. There are some clothes over in the closet. When you've finished breakfast, come down to the lobby…"

Kurumu had had enough!

"What IS all of this? Who the hell are you?" she demanded angrily. This perversion of her dreams was unwelcome! A hollow joke played on her by a laughing universe, and even though in her heart she knew she brought it on herself, she wasn't laughing. Without Tsukune, this was all pantomime! She tasted a falseness and it infuriated her. Her eyes flashed with visible purple light as she exercised some of her power to force her will on this human.

Her head swam, the power demand on her slightly more than she could handle in her condition.

The man's cheeriness evaporated immediately. Eerily, he seemed like an entirely different person, almost like a monster revealing his true form. Startled, Kurumu shrank from him.

"Ask for Tomek. We'll talk then," he said flatly. Turning almost mechanically, he walked away from her through a magnificent, bright, beautifully furnished living area.

Kurumu's lips compressed into a tiny line. Furious, she still managed to tamp down most of her anger. A stranger in a strange land, she felt out of her depth and it frustrated her. "Hey! Atomic…or Tommy or whatever your name is!" she called after him. Without using her power, she still mustered more than enough authority to stop one man from walking away from her.

Tomek stopped, moving his head to the left some, waiting.

Kurumu's sigh betrayed more emotion than she meant to reveal. So far from home, cut off from her friends and now even Nagare Kano had left her, she was scared. Her voice broke as she spoke, "Am I… Am I a prisoner here?"

Tomek turned back around, facing her. The way he fixed his tie with sharp, practiced movements showed sternness directly in opposition to the look in his eyes as he stared back at her. Kurumu felt pitied which truly irritated her. Taking an unsteady breath, she thought seriously about launching herself at this human and tearing out his throat… but then she smelled the food below her.

"You're no one's prisoner, Kurumu Kurono. Eat. Meet me downstairs. We'll talk."

"You cooked all of this… for me?"

Tomek finished with his tie and collar, tugging at his suit coat. He nodded.

Kurumu considered the breakfast spread and then looked elsewhere. She had just wanted to get away. She didn't know how to bear the suffering of losing her mate-of-fate. The dying inside. The jealousy and madness. Loving and hating one of her best friends for taking her destined one away. She had just wanted to get away… What was happening? "I…"

"Eat your breakfast, Sunrise," Tomek said glibly. "Oh, and don't worry about cleaning up. I'll get someone to take care of that for you." His eyes and smirk said he was teasing. Kurumu made a face, squinting at him and he turned on his heel. His carefree air and total ignorance of what she was going through lent his smile a genuineness she found disturbingly infectious. She grinned briefly despite herself.

* * *

All heads turned her way when she left the room; walked the hall; rode the elevator; entered the lobby. Men, women, teenagers and children all found themselves captivated by the elfin woman's striking beauty. She wore a navy colored, off the shoulder bateau neckline spring dress of various layers of lace. Held up precariously by her formidable bust size alone, it clung to her petite waist and ended well above mid-thigh. The trumpet sleeves almost hung lower. Her long, sky blue hair was done up in her favorite style, ribbons and trinkets complimenting the dress. Aware of so many eyes on her without having to first exert her will or charm anyone, Kurumu's succubus sensibilities were kindled, rapidly easing her into her role as center-of-attention. Dipping her chin and staring straight ahead with her intense, purple gaze, her hips swayed that little bit further as she walked and she stuck her chest out that little bit more, finding her strut.

Away from the comings and goings of the hotel lobby, Tomek watched Kurumu from a seating area of contemporary furniture. When Kurumu turned her back to him, presumably to inquire about him at the desk, she leaned over the counter, unnecessarily raising herself on her toes to not only flex her leg muscles, but to give the gentleman behind the counter plenty to stare at as well. Tomek took note of her both clinically and as a man. The low-cut bateau collar allowed for her wings to manifest if necessary, and the skirt was high enough to accommodate her tail without wrecking the dress.

Tomek wondered if she intended to run.

The desk manager gestured Tomek's way, doing a very poor job of keeping his gaze at eye level for Kurumu. Kurumu spun around locking eyes with Tomek. He suspected she had seen him when she first entered the area. This was a show she was putting on. Despite himself, he felt what he could only describe as 'first date nervousness'. He stood up as she approached him. Her saunter was natural and fluid, its effect totally engrossing. Barely over 5'1", she moved elegantly like a runway model a foot taller. Any lingering shadow of the hangover was entirely dispelled in the light of her grace and poise. In full possession of her faculties, the force of her presence preceded her.

Tomek gestured for her to sit in a low back chair at an angle from his own. Kurumu folded her arms and threw out her right hip, defiantly. "Or stand if you like," Tomek said answering her nonverbal refusal. He shrugged and sat back down.

Again he gestured, this time to a catered coffee set up on the glass coffee table adjacent to their chairs. "Coffee?"

"Forget it, human, you can keep your brown water," Kurumu snapped a little too loudly. Heads in the lobby turned towards them.

"Well, they're fresh out of men's souls in catering, succubus, and I'm using mine." Tomek remarked, annoyed.

His comment stung and she retorted quickly, "Your soul would leave me starving."

Tomek raised an eyebrow and sat back in the chair. Regarding her coolly, he lifted his cup and sipped his coffee deliberately slow, never taking his eyes from hers. Eventually Kurumu rolled her eyes and looked away. "That was cruel to say," she said, quietly fuming.

"It was." Tomek didn't know if she meant what he said, or she said. Deciding it didn't matter, he set his cup on the table and propped himself up, hands on his knees. "Look, I understand why you'd be afraid…"

She turned on him, leaning down into his face, hands on hips. "I'm not afraid of you!"

Almost nose to nose, he ignored her outburst, pressing forward. "No? So you won't be afraid to go over some truth." He fished a manila envelope from inside his suit coat. Still tense, Kurumu watched him as she straightened up, ready to pounce.

"Last night was nothing new. You've been drinking heavily since before leaving Japan. Probably to forget that your boyfriend pledged his heart to your best friend and rival. You're a succubus. You feel like your heart's been ripped out. Nothing has meaning. You get in touch with the one monster no one would suspect you would ever even glance at, much less run away with. He's got a plan to make money and stroke his photography fetish. So, you fled your home with someone dangerous and downright criminal." Tomek pretended to pick at something in his teeth with his tongue as he stalled. "And…" the next part was risky, based on the word of a monster with no integrity. Worse, it might send her into a tantrum. He dropped his matter-of-fact tone and softened his delivery some, "…you see an opportunity to end it all."

Watching her as the color bled from Kurumu's face, Tomek knew he wasn't wrong and that Nagare hadn't just been spouting off to save his own life. A sudden wild fury blossomed in Kurumu's eyes that, despite his being a foot taller and outweighing her by a hundred plus pounds, Tomek quietly found terrifying. "But, you got chased out of Hong Kong and fled across the ocean to another foreign country packed with humans. Next thing you know you're in a stranger's room, your creepy little handler is gone and you are totally alone."

"How do you know all that?" How she ground her voice through her gritted teeth, Tomek didn't know. "How could you possibly know ANY of that?" Kurumu demanded, her voice rising to a shout. More heads turned their way; neither of them flinched at the attention.

"A little slug told me." Tomek said with a grin.

"He and I had a deal! Where is he?"

"Mr. Kano had to go back home. He was a little salty about it," Tomek said whimsically. "He left these for you." A little dramatically, Tomek held the envelope by a corner and let it slap down on the table. Pictures partially spilled out that Kurumu recognized immediately.

Some of the hardness drained from Kurumu's expression and she sank down on the chair next to Tomek's. Riding the edge of the seat, she leaned over and tucked the pictures away. Daring to be just a little hopeful, she turned her eyes up to Tomek. He nodded at her, answering her unspoken question. "Negatives, flash drive. I got all of it."

They sat in silence together for a few minutes. Tomek followed her eyes to the small catering tray he had ordered. Moving for it caused her to flinch, so Tomek paused. Slowly, he reached for the small teapot and poured a cup for her. "You have enough to eat?" he asked quietly.

Kurumu exhaled sharply from her nose, finding his change of subject humorous after confronting her with the horror that was Nagare Kano's photography fetish. "I ate… all of it," she confessed in a moment of unguarded candor. Playing with thumb and forefinger nails, she looked coyly at him from under her hanging hair.

"Did you really make all that for me?" Kurumu blew at her bangs, tossed her head lightly to get her face clear and looked down her nose at Tomek.

"I did."

His acknowledgement triggered a small, unbidden thrill in her being. "I like the dress," Kurumu said, smoothing out the lacey material and lingering on her breasts. "You pick this out?" Her hands ran down along the curves of her figure until she reached past the skirt and crossed her legs.

Stoically, Tomek held her eyes and didn't follow her lead. His efforts made her grin.

"So…" Tomek started.

Kurumu tilted her head, considering. She blinked slowly and her purple irises swelled, a flood of power surging, eclipsing the whites of her eyes. She gingerly picked up the tea he poured for her and orientated her body in Tomek's direction, holding his eyes. "You want to start over? We can do that," Kurumu said, her grin bordering on a sneer. She winked at him.

The panicked confusion in Tomek's bright green eyes told her he was aware she was charming him. What little good his awareness would do him.

In a blink, Kurumu threw the hot tea in Tomek's eyes. Before he could so much as gasp, she leaned forward, violently slamming her open hands into his chest. He flipped over the back of the chair and it landed on top of him, sliding far enough along the floor to strike the next seating area over and disrupting it.

Kurumu didn't wait to see if she hurt him or even acknowledge the attentions of everyone there now firmly fixed on them. Launching herself over a couch, she dropped to slide under the table of a couple eating their breakfast. Spiraling up from the floor acrobatically, she identified the front doors of the place and ran like hell.

Pounding in her ears let her know Tomek was up and moving. Feeling giddy, Kurumu squeaked when the tea cup Tomek threw hit her in the back of the head. She turned her head, scowling, "You bast…"

BANG! She crashed into a brass luggage trolley, one leg driven into the other as she fell forward over the flat bed part, landing in a heap on the floor, her ass in the air. Kurumu dropped so quickly, Tomek's momentum drove him right into her. Jumping recklessly, he didn't quite clear Kurumu's posterior. She cried out when one of his huge shoes kicked her in the butt, rolling her over. The bell hop who had yanked the trolley away from Kurumu now brought it around full circle in time for Tomek to land on it. His inertia wrenched it from the bell hop's hands. He rode it the few feet where his progress was stopped by his head hitting the glass partition next to the doors. The massive pain buckled and made a sound like thunder, but didn't shatter.

"Ow…" He rolled off the cart awkwardly and tried to get up on all fours. Kurumu leapt and landed on his back, driving him back down to the floor with both feet. Kicking off of him, she raced through the inner doors into the entry foyer.

Tomek's hand flashed out futilely. As luck would have it, he snagged the very back of Kurumu's skirt as she ran past. His grip wasn't complete enough to stop her entirely, but he did bring her down to her butt, hard.

Tomek growled, getting on all fours again until two security officers stepped on him driving him back to the floor. "Don't move!" one of them yelled.

"Ha ha!" Kurumu pulled down the skin below her right eye and stuck out her tongue. Tomek had rolled over onto his back putting up a fight. The officers were just as big as he was, so Kurumu knew she had time. Sliding backwards on her butt, she cleared the doors and made it outside. Leaping up she spun around…

Wham!

Kurumu ran smack into a thin sign that never-the-less didn't yield at all, sending her falling back to the concrete onto her already sore posterior. "Hey!" she shouted, recovering to her knees. "What is your problem?" She gasped in recognition, bringing up her hand as if to ward off what she saw.

Holding a sign that read "Kurono" in English and Japanese, a tall, lean man in a grey uniform with a matching patent leather brimmed hat stood slightly bent before her. Dark shades covered glowing white eyes. Cigar smoke gushed from his mouth, riding his sardonic chuckle: "Heh heh heh," as he lowered the sign and pulled the cigar from his mouth.

"Okay, okay," said a very familiar voice from behind her. "I think he's had enough. I'll take it from here." Kurumu's mouth fell open. Standing up in front of the bus driver, she didn't want to turn around, but felt compelled to."

Ginei Morioka easily held the two human security officers at bay, pressing them up against either side of the rightmost entryway into the hotel. He was dressed in a white tuxedo coat and dress pants with his usual headband in place. As Tomek clambered to his feet, Gin flashed the two men what had to be some sort of fake ID or badge. Never-the-less, he had their attention. Knowingly, he looked back at Kurumu watching at him and flashed her a grin.

Kurumu crossed her arms in a huff and turned away as Tomek tried to find his stride, wobbling some and walking up to them. He had taken a pounding from her and the guards. "Nurari," he said, recognizing the bus driver. "Mad-dog," he said, acknowledging Ginei as Gin stepped away from the guards and walked up next to him.

"Zag-nut," Gin said shaking his head.

"Nicely done gentlemen," The bus driver said in his gravelly voice. He tucked the sign under his arm and knocked off his cigar ash with his other. "Let me give you all a lift," he said, replacing his cigar in his mouth and chuckling.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 _"Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down." – Ray Bradbury_

* * *

Seated in the limousine driver's seat, the bus driver chomped on his cigar, waiting behind his grin for an eruption to break the pregnant silence on the other side of the privacy barrier. He, Ginei and Kurumu had stopped to let Tomek out at the hotel where Nagare Kano and Kurumu were originally booked when they arrived in America. As the three of them waited for the human to return, the inside of the limousine simmered with tension. Kurumu, sat next to Gin in the back of the stretch limousine, orientated completely away from him. Furious, her cheeks burned bright red, her arms crossed so tightly her breasts threatened to pop out of her dress entirely. Gin stared at Kurumu, his mouth twitching once, then again as he held back. He had dealt with a distraught Kurumu in the past, but her antics this time were different. She had crossed a line and Gin wasn't a hundred percent sure how to deal with her irrationality.

Unblinking, Kurumu met Gin's smirk, infuriated at his condescending demeanor. "What?" she yelled sharply.

The werewolf wasted no time, responding, "I was there the whole time, but you were so drunk you had no idea! You were so drunk," Gin said, leaning forward and laughing at her. "Oh wow, you were gone!"

Kurumu stared at him.

Ginei Morioka seemed to be having a blast. "You seriously didn't see me bartending? Not even when you stumbled in? I thought for sure you were going to blow my cover!"

"How did you find me," she asked quietly.

"You were der-runk!" Gin sat back on the cushy rear seats, crossing his legs and folding his hands behind his head for support.

"How did you find me? Answer me Gin!" she shouted.

"That's what our human friend is for. He found you," Gin said with a casual nod in the direction of the hotel.

"And who is this human we're carting around?"

"Well, we've got this deal going thanks to Headmaster Mikogami…" Gin began, jerking a thumb in the general direction of the hotel. The bus driver cleared his throat meaningfully, glancing through the driver divide window in such a way Gin could see his glowing eyes beneath the sunglasses. Gin effectively found his discretion, shut his mouth and looked the other way, dropping the subject.

A shudder rocked Kurumu's body. She glared daggers at Gin, then turned away as the silence returned.

Reaching a hand out, Gin played with the blue hair hanging from Kurumu's ribbons. It was much longer than she wore it in their school days. Her body went rigid and he withdrew his hand. "Stupid." Gin finally said. "How many times have we gone over this, you and I?"

"Don't" Kurumu warned. She knew full well what he was talking about. Their paths always seemed to intersect whenever she was in anguish about her one-sided love affair with Tsukune; every time, Ginei let her know he thought she was wasting her time.

"Tch," Gin rolled his eyes. "Don't what? Remind you of what a selfish ass you've been, Kurumu? Don't tell you this months-long tantrum you threw scared everyone to death!"

That wasn't exactly what Kurumu was expecting. Ordinarily Gin would tell her what a good woman she was and that her tears didn't suit her. Of course, she normally didn't flee to different countries in an alcoholic stupor on her own. Kurumu, turned her head to face him. "Everyone?"

"Stop that! Just stop it!" Gin was on the verge of losing his temper and ran his hand through his hair past his head band, collecting himself. The door next to him opened and Tomek slid into the limo taking a quick seat perpendicular to Ginei, with his back to the driver's compartment. No one seemed to notice, so he set about arranging the papers in his hands, on top of his briefcase.

"Naturally everyone! What do you think?" Gin went on. "You know Tsukune! He was ready to walk away from the academy and fly to China on his own wings once the Huang agents reported they may have spotted you!"

Kurumu blushed, looking mischievous. "She stopped him, I'll bet," Kurumu murmured. A stern, possessive vampire of ethereal beauty and grace dominated her thoughts, blotting out Tsukune from her mind's eye. Her friend, her rival… her better, Moka Akashiya.

Stern, raising his voice without shouting, Gin was having none of it. "I said stop it! We're not school kids anymore! This crush, this obsession… it's not good for you Kurumu. I've…"

"Is that what you think this is?" Kurumu shouted. "A crush?"

"What do you call it?" Gin didn't back down even when Kurumu turned aggressively towards him in a wild move, like she was ready to attack. "Out of all of us, who didn't see Tsukune and Moka as inevitable? After everything they went through, who was the only one of us in denial they were going to be together? You!"

"N-no…" she shook her head, desperate to not hear anymore.

"You were all rivals Kurumu, but you were also friends!" Gin's irritation blossomed, remembering the group as more than just a harem around Tsukune, they were family. "Tsukune and Moka are a fact Kurumu. They just are. One look at an engagement ring and you ran off like a spoiled brat!"

Tears flowed freely down Kurumu's cheeks, riding the downward curve of her deep frown to her chin. "I don't want to hear anymore, Gin. Please."

Tomek agreed. He stared at them like a deer caught in car's headlights. As was his disposition, he absorbed the information, regardless.

"And it wasn't you just running off, but running off with that slug… gah! What were you thinking?" Gin asked, disgusted. "After what he pulled your freshman year. His criminal activity in Japan… Jeez Kurumu, what were you thinking!"

"I…"

"You weren't, were you? It's always 'react' with you!"

"I didn't know how to…" Kurumu buried her face in her hands a moment. She dropped them, drew a breath and started over, staring into a recent past made vivid by her succubus perceptions. "When I saw the ring… I couldn't... I wanted to…" Kurumu started trembling. "Oh Gin! What was all of it for?" The floodgates broke and tears spilled down both cheeks as she quietly sobbed.

Gin's face melted from dismay into compassion. Leaning forward he took the glossy eyed succubus into his embrace. "Don't be such a pessimist. And like I always tell you, the tears don't suit you."

"What was it for?" The bus driver turned in his seat, removing the cigar from his mouth. He looked over his sunglasses, his eyes incandescent under the brim of his hat. "Young lady, there is a human saying: ''Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

Kurumu snapped, forcefully throwing Gin from her proximity. He crashed against the back seat and window. Tomek watched her warily. "Of course!" she hollered, wiping her eyes on her dress sleeves. "Of course, a human said that! Humans don't DIE if their destined love leaves them!"

Previously invisible to the conversation, Tomek spoke up, quietly, but firmly. "You're not dead Kurumu Kurono. You carry on like a wounded animal, but you're not dead. What does that tell you?"

The Bus Driver's eyebrows shot upward and he made a face. Turning slowly back to face forward, he took a long pull off his cigar.

"What?! How DARE you!" Kurumu's lithe, small frame unhindered by the cramped quarters executed a perfect sidekick. Catching Tomek under the chin, she held his head against the driver divide with her wedge sandal. Her left hand clamped on Gin's neck kept her body braced while silencing his agreement with Tomek. She heard their goofy nicknames for each other outside of the other hotel. Somehow, they had a history she was unaware of. She would show them not to gang up on her! Both human and werewolf turned red from her crushing their necks, keeping them pinned.

Struggling against Kurumu's sole, Tomek turned his head towards the bus driver, "Can I ride up front please?"

"Heh heh heh," the bus driver blew cigar smoke at him.

"You're pissing me off, human!" Kurumu barked. Even though it had been a ruse to disarm and charm him, gone was the quiet, appreciative aspect in her eyes, or any confusion on her part. The contempt in her gaze was clear to Tomek. She bent her knee and extended her leg sharply as if to snap kick Tomek in the side of the head, stopping so close, he felt the breeze of the motion.

Tomek's eyes looked left at her foot inches from his face. If she was trying to intimidate him with martial skill, she would need to try harder. "Nice," he said, regarding her wedge sandals. "You do your own pedicure or is that professionally done?

Kurumu narrowed her eyes, cruelty replacing contempt and with a little effort, her toenails sprung out like blades. Each was sharp enough to lop off Tomek's head at the neck if she had gone through with her kick. Tomek watched her, his aspect becoming icy as it had in the hotel suite and Kurumu realized something about his resolve that gave her chills. This human was no stranger to death. He glanced at her hand still on Gin's throat.

"It's okay," Gin said, catching his expression. "I'm used to the abuse."

Kurumu released her grip, retracted her toenail claws and sat back down on the seats opposite Tomek. In no mood to be mocked or pushed into a corner, she watched them both intently. Something gnawing at the back of her consciousness, making her queasy and nervous, was the desire for another drink.

The bus driver chuckled again before pulling away from the rear of the hotel and into traffic. "So, that's over with. Now, what have you learned?" he asked the rearview mirror.

Still watching Kurumu, Tomek took the first paper in his hand and turned it over to Gin. "The delivery happened just like Nagare said it would. This is in a few languages."

Gin nodded, looking it over. "Lucky."

"Whatever is going down, it's not happening here. Looks like the next stop is in Canada off the coast of British Columbia." Tomek wagged his finger at the paper he handed Gin. "There's a rendezvous they're all headed for at Thormaby Island, apparently."

Gin made an affirmative noise and nodded. "Mm hm… yeah. After my shift, they were asking for staff for catering on a vessel. A fairly large yacht I think."

"I'm not surprised. There's plenty of money surrounding this event," Tomek added. "Still, the command center for the Canadian Pacific fleet is off British Columbia. To move this many monsters internationally from the U.S. to Canadian waters with their naval hub right there is pretty bold."

"So, this tournament is not happening here, in the United States?" the bus driver asked, his tone even and unreadable.

"Not according to this paperwork, they delivered to the managers," Gin said, reading the Japanese portion of the document. "I don't get it."

"Does it matter?" Tomek asked. "We've recovered Sunrise here, and got away clean," he indicated Kurumu. "Your next stop should be the airport." She looked from man to werewolf, trying to keep up. More so, she was trying to remember what little Nagare Kano had told her about where they were going and what she needed to do. Inebriated almost the entire time, she had precious little memory of her time with Nagare.

"It matters," the bus driver said. "Yokai Academy's new headmaster has his people secretly working on a dimensional tunnel here. Once he got the report from the Huang family in Hong Kong, he was going to take this on personally."

"His people?" Gin said half laughing. "You mean Yukari and Fang-Fang."

The bus driver chuckled, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Since Mikogami bowed out at Minato Mirai, Headmaster Aono has to work with what he has. The young Yasha and the witch are up to the task. It's only initial distance that has to be conquered."

"Tsukune was going to open a tunnel here? Like the ones that connect the monster world in Japan?" Kurumu asked.

"He needs to stop," Tomek said seriously, directing his comments over his shoulder at the bus driver. "That would be an international political disaster if it was found out!"

"There must be one already," Gin pointed out. How else could that many monsters disappear from China that quickly?"

"And right out from under Huang family, is that what you're saying?" Tomek asked thoughtfully. Gin nodded, his expression suggesting he thought the point was elementary and not worth pursuing. Tomek shook his head. He was privy to information that apparently even someone as connected as Ginei Morioka didn't have. There was no way a portal like that could open in North America without clandestine organizations knowing and acting on it. He knew this first hand.

"No?" Gin asked.

"No," Tomek affirmed. "You're going to have to trust me that no major portal across the Pacific opened on this end to admit all of those monsters. They came here by other means."

"Not legally," Gin said, very much aware of the official nightmare monster immigration was for the rest of the world, especially after the disintegration of Alucard and his plans.

"You have a passport," Tomek said, gesturing, "I sent Nagare Kano back to Japan with a passport. He doesn't need a passport, but I bet he has a license or two" he jerked his thumb to indicate the bus driver.

"Heh heh heh," was the reply.

"Well, what in the…" Gin folded his arms and slumped in his seat, deep in thought. Tomek found it humorous, Kurumu sat next to him in a similar pose, equally flummoxed.

"How about we ask the 400-pound gorilla in the room?"

All eyes turned towards Kurumu who remained focused on her own thoughts. She started, looking from man to monster, "What the hell did you call me?" She threw her hands on her hips in a huff, bouncing her breasts once.

"Kurumu, how did you get out of China?" Gin demanded

"Why didn't you just ask me that in the first place?" Tomek and Gin shared an aggravated eye contact before glaring at Kurumu. "It's actually a little embarrassing. I was pretty drunk… But there were all these flashes of light and everyone was pushing and hollering. Some of the monsters lost their human appearance." She spoke intently, forcing herself to remember, her hand gesticulations emphasizing her points as her vivid and blurry memories played out before her superior Succubus recollection. "Nagare was pressing into me, pushing me along. There were people shouting in Chinese and bright lights…And then…"

She paused, confused.

"It was dark. It was dark and most of us were together, and it got pretty tense because there were a lot of us that couldn't stand all that fear scent." Kurumu shook her head. "Someone found a door…it was huge and metal. The whole box we were in was metal. It was stacked in a pile of a hundred more that looked just like it. And we were on a ship. I've never seen one so huge…"

"Cargo," Tomek said interrupting her. "It was a container ship. 90 percent of human worldwide trade is done with these ships. But…"

"You look like you just ate bug Zagorski," Gin said, using Tomek's last name.

"I'm not aware of any major international monster shipping organizations. This implies human collusion."

The bus driver nodded. "Indeed. This could represent a larger problem. Tell me what else you have."

"Two tickets to board the Storybook Garden right here," Tomek said holding up the tickets he pulled out of the packet he had received in place of Nagare Kano.

Kurumu grabbed the tickets from Tomek, "Storybook?"

Tomek nodded, snatching the tickets back, "Leaves tonight from the port of Seattle." He frowned and looked at Gin, shaking the tickets. "Did you agree to work this trip?"

Gin shook his head.

Tomek glanced back down at the forms and paperwork. "Well, I believe my Canadian counterpart is in Quebec currently. I've never met him in person, but we've spoken about previous cases. I'll refer this to him and maybe he can find out where…"

"Storybook Garden?" Kurumu said again, interrupting. She tapped her chin curiously. "Gin?" raising her eyebrows, she looked like she could coax an answer out of Gin just by willing it.

"Storybook… C'mon. It can't be that easy." Gin said, getting where she was going.

Tomek shook his head. "What?"

"Fairytale of course. Damned Fairytale." Gin leaned forward and addressed the bus driver. "You hear that? Storybook Garden!"

"Indeed," the bus driver concurred. "Hanging garden and storybook. Looks like their reach extends further than we'd anticipated."

"You guys are talking about…" Tomek's face scrunched up, skeptically. He wasn't fully aware of the connections they were drawing and it irritated him. His job depended on information to not only make decisions but to take any sort of action at all. It was necessary to survive when dealing with monsters.

Gin leaned his arms on his knees, trying his best to summarize for Tomek. "It's an organization that got itself lousy with human connections in Japan. Finance, political, cultural, you name it. Old headmaster Mikogami was a step ahead of them, but that still left them plenty of room to recruit an army, basically."

"The humans and monsters that fought for that thing, Alucard, at Minato Morai." Tomek said slowly, following along.

"Yes," Kurumu said, picking up Gin's explanation. "But we killed or captured all their subdivision leaders."

Gin shook his head and sat back, "We didn't. We know two of their best lieutenants got away and frankly, we don't know how many subdivisions they had. We only know who we fought."

"Enlighten me," the bus driver called back. "Connect these threads."

"It's too soon," Tomek said firmly. "You don't have the information you need. Even your 'Storybook' connection is a circumstantial thing."

"But you said that Canada has a naval base on their Pacific Coast," Gin reminded Tomek. They had been working together at locating and extracting Kurumu from Nagare's clutches for a few weeks, but neither of them had uncovered what exactly she was involved with. Now that there were more disparate facts that seemed to want to knit together, they could brainstorm sense into them.

"I did."

"Tomek, there were a couple military types there last night," Gin said.

"You're right, Ginei. There were plenty of people there. Wealthy people. Or at least representatives of wealthy people."

"What are the rest of those papers you have there?" Kurumu asked, pointing at the respectable stack Tomek had been arranging when he first entered the limo. "Are those pictures…" she trailed off, suddenly sorry she mentioned it.

Hesitant at first, Tomek pulled a folder from his briefcase. Setting it down, he opened it. Inside were pictures taken secretly apparently, of people who had attended the party last night. "Looks like Nagare Kano got a little trigger happy on his camera. I haven't been through all of these yet, but I recognized some people and frankly, I wish I hadn't."

Gin leaned in as did Kurumu, each carefully pushing aside the pictures to see if they recognized anyone. "These two here. This one is a Washington senator's aid, this one is Canadian Armed Forces."

Gin became enthused, "And there were all kinds of monsters there, from all over the world." He tapped his forehead trying to remember details. "That really hot chick…"

"What?" Kurumu asked sharply.

"This one?" Tomek slid the picture of the beautiful African woman in her airy white wrap dress. "She saw me take Nagare out of the party area."

"May I?" the Bus driver asked, waving his hand for Tomek to hold the picture closer. "Hm…"

"No-no-no…Mexico. She and that guy were from Mexico. Werejaguar!" Gin's grin exposed his canines, suddenly sharper than usual. "I'd love to see who's faster on a full moon."

"I should have known you picked up on that," Tomek's tone was measured. There was a real enthusiasm gap developing between him and Gin for this situation. He didn't like where things were going and he began to suspect this job wasn't over like he thought it was.

"There was a harpy," Gin pointed prompting another nod from Tomek.

"The Greek, I saw her. She was drinking with the Sasquatch."

"All the fighters. You guys are talking about the fighters." Kurumu remembered that much. "There are a few that are acting as managers, but most of the monsters there are going to fight in the tournament."

"I know you can fight," Gin put a hand on Kurumu's shoulder and shook her some, "I taught you everything you know. But seriously, why would you subject yourself to something like this? There are easier ways to get therapy."

With the back of her hand, Kurumu slowly, but firmly pushed Gin's hand from her. His touch made her ill. "I had to do something. Something on my own… I had to break away." She noticed Tomek react to that statement. It was subtle; a raised eyebrow and the quirk of his mouth. She tensed, afraid he might tell the others what Nagare had blabbed to him.

"I know this was put on presumably as a launch party, but there was more to it than showcasing champions or fighters. It looked and sounded like an auction house before the bidding starts." Tomek said to bring them back down from what he perceived could be another fight.

Gin stroked his stubbly chin. "Y'know… there was an awful lot talk about different monster abilities and techniques at the bar last night. This wasn't bragging or bravado either. Actually… I found it kind of weird. Especially in front of humans."

"I got that too," Tomek agreed. Kurumu and the bus driver listened intently. "Nagare said a few things to me as well." Kurumu started, glancing nervously at Tomek. He went on, "It was almost like he was looking for claim money rather than betting odds on Kurumu. I had chalked it up to his being foreign. When he said "betting", I think he meant "bidding"."

"This is all interesting, but why Fairytale?" The bus driver asked. "What's the benefit for them having monsters fight in an underground competition?"

"We don't have enough information," Tomek said glumly. He knew he was just talking to himself at this point. The trajectory of the circumstances was firmly against his ability to extract himself.

"We're going to get it," the bus driver said simply as the limo stopped.

Tomek looked out the window behind him and cursed under his breath. They were very near the Marina. "Nurari, come on!" Tomek exclaimed. "This is not what I do!"

"Don't be ridiculous. It's exactly what you do. It's what you committed to do for Mikogami, or have you forgotten?" The bus driver took a long drag off his cigar. The bright red cherry crackling the cigar leaf was the only sound in the car as he stared at Tomek in the mirror. "

"So, I AM working this cruise huh?" Gin said, resigned. "Looks like we're not going back home just yet."

Kurumu was quietly relieved. She found she didn't want to go home. Being tracked down didn't change anything in her grief-stricken mind. What changed was now she had support in ending her suffering. She glanced hatefully at the human Tomek, his comment about not being dead at the forefront of her mind suddenly. What did he know about how a succubus reacted to losing the love of their life? "And I'm going to fight," she announced with a nod.

"To win?" Tomek asked in an even tone. The Bus driver and Gin were discussing where to drop him off and didn't hear Tomek's remark. He stared at her, accusation plain in his eyes. So, he really had talked to Nagare, Kurumu realized. But he was still a fool. His digging and investigation ensured Kurumu would get the end she wanted from all this.

"Duh," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Look, if I'm going to be acting as your manager in this, you're going to have to persevere. When I get the information Headmaster Aono needs to act, I'll get you out. In the meantime, you need to kick ass. Understood?"

"If you think you're going to…" she started.

Tomek turned away from her holding up a hand to her face. "I need to get in touch with Headmaster Aono. He needs to know what's going on here. I need to know what's going on there. And he really needs to put a halt on that dimensional tunnel!" Tomek said, organizing the papers he and Gin had been passing back and forth. He neatly deposited them into a leather briefcase. He gestured to Gin to hand him the umbrella behind the werewolf as rain droplets peppered the window suddenly.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to Tsukune," Gin assure him. "Unless of course, you want to do the honors, Kurumu?"

"I can't yet… I'm… I just can't yet," she admitted, her blush confirming her truth.

"You've got nothing to be embarrassed about any more," Tomek said matter-of-factly. "We would know less than nothing about this tournament and whatever else is going on around it without you."

Kurumu felt a moment's satisfaction. Maybe Tomek wasn't a complete fool.

"There are a couple hours before the Storybook Garden leaves tonight. I'm going to check out the marina and see if that container ship is still in port. Maybe we can learn something there." Tomek said. He readied the umbrella as he cracked the door open.

Gin handed over the briefcase to Tomek and a small suitcase to Kurumu. "I'll keep my ear to the ground on board the yacht. I'll see you two there."

"Be careful you two. Remember, teamwork." The bus driver said.

"As always, you're full of good advice," Tomek said sarcastically before leaving the limo. He held the umbrella waiting for Kurumu to join him outside.

"He's a good guy for a human, Kurumu. He'll have your back." Gin said seriously. Kurumu started a venomous comeback, then thought the better of it.

"We're undercover now, for real, aren't we? Ya-hoo-hoo!" she said with a grin before slipping outside.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _"To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved." George MacDonald_

* * *

"Why do we trust Ruby with wardrobe choices?" Moka asked rhetorically. She and Mizore were outfitted as National Police Agency officers complete with bowler hats, tactical vests, white dress shirts, ties… and very short skirts. They should have emphasized that they did NOT want to stand out, particularly in the human world. Ruby had stayed up all night sewing the disguises for the ladies after they solidified their scheme to check out a residence Nagare Kano had listed in his Yokai Academy files. In a serendipitous coincidence, the very same residence was under investigation by human police, so the evening news said. Watching human newscasts with Tsukune was a habit Moka was still getting used to, but the payoff in this situation was clear.

"Well, we've come this far," Mizore stated confidently. "We can see this through. It's not so hard to disappear, Moka. Especially when you hide in the open."

Moka nodded, reassured somewhat by Mizroe's conviction and of course, her uncanny ability as a stalker to simply not be seen. For nearly all her life, Moka endured the exact opposite experience. Whether in her true form or in the guise of her mother, humans and monsters seemed to be immediately aware of her. Though she tried not to show it, more and more she was acutely uncomfortable with her decision to take on this undercover work in the human world, even though it was primarily for Mizore's sake. Without Tsukune at her side as a context to make sense of it and give it meaning, the human world loomed like a monster Moka couldn't just kick into submission.

"So, Nagare Kano really escaped the Shuzen family at the airport? That doesn't seem possible," Mizore mused aloud.

Moka took note of the warmer temperature here, the humidity and the presence of water and the number of tourists to photograph. Even though it only warranted a single entry in Nagare Kano's Yokai Academy information, it seemed a natural place for him to gravitate towards. "My guess is he took to the sewers to escape my father's agents. As a slug monster, he is able to flow under doors and pass through grates without much..."

She stopped short, verbally and physically. Moka and Mizore had been strolling down hill towards Sagami Bay in Kamakura, Japan. Now at the crest they had a better view of the situation below in the tightly packed houses and apartments of the neighborhood. The news report Moka and Tsukune saw had been correct, there was definitely an incident in the neighborhood below them. Several emergency vehicle lights rapidly blinked in a concentrated area near a three-story building that appeared to have partially collapsed.

The house in question looked as though a boulder had crashed through the roof. But that wasn't what stopped Moka in her tracks.

Swarms of police officers, member of various media outlets and neighbors all milled in tight orbits around their destination. Every one of them was a potential obstacle; every one of them called to mind the torturous adolescence Moka suffered in the human world that scarred her, even though it was her outer persona whom had taken the brunt of the emotional abuse at the time. "If Kurumu were here she could charm them all into looking the other way…" Moka said seriously. Without conscious thought, her right hand moved as though she were closing it over Tsukune's hand.

Mizore smiled around her lollipop. "More like she'd show off her boobs and no one would notice us at all."

The two of them shared a laugh. Remembering their missing friend warmed this moment of dread, taking the edge off. Moka checked her hair, pulled back as it was in a severe bun behind the bowler hat. Satisfied, she adjusted her mirror shades. "How do I look, Mizore?"

"Like a bad ass, Officer Aono," Mizore said. Moka looked at her sharply, accepting that compliment from her former rival with a heartfelt smile. Glancing at her uniform, she realized that 'Aono' was also on the nametag Ruby made for her.

"How about me?" Mizore removed her sucker and turned left and right in a pantomime of a model posing for pictures. Her purple hair still hung from under her hat, but her shades hid her icy blue eyes and Ruby and Moka had convinced her to lose the striped socks for this excursion.

"Frosty, Officer Shirayuki," Moka said playfully.

They made their way downhill, easily wading into and through the outer throngs of neighbors and nosy passers-by. Careful to avoid the few cameras and news reporters present, they reached the open front door of the crushed house.

"Relax Moka, we're almost in," Mizore said softly after noticing the vampire's increasingly stiff manner.

A very tall police officer squinted at them as they approached, read their badges, then nodded to them, stepping aside. Crossing the threshold into the shattered remains of the building they saw whatever had collapsed the roof, also smashed through the upper floor, passing through the floor they were walking into, right into the basement level. They edged around the gaping, ragged hole, but then met their first true obstacle. "No-no-no," said a squat officer inside, approaching them rapidly. "This is Community Safety's jurisdiction. Who called for you two from Criminal Investigations?"

Moka was thankful for the sunglasses, because she knew her eyes shot open as her tongue failed her. Mizore stepped in immediately to block for her. "Community Safety huh? What's your story, the usual? Gas explosion?"

The shorter man was put off by her sarcastic tone. He shivered visibly as the temperature of the room lowered considerably.

"Probably," Moka said just as sarcastically, finding her voice. "Was this gas line sitting on the roof? Because it was impacted from outside and blown inward."

The squat investigating officer grimaced, raised his hands as if to ward off what Moka was saying. He looked nervously over his shoulder at the two officers now at the door. "Sh! The both of you. I know the roof was struck from the outside!"

"Don't worry about them," Mizore said moving further inward into the wreckage. "Those men are discussing how my superior and I belong in the red-light district, not at a crime scene."

"Something that should probably be highlighted in our report," Moka said in a low, dangerous voice. She stepped closer to the supervising detective, standing a head taller than him in her heels, she exercised some of her power on the human officer. "Your men should know their place, inspector Suzuki," she said, quickly reading his badge.

Hit with the yoki of a shinso vampire, even for a moment, was nearly enough to un-man the inspector. Beginning to sweat, he took a more conciliatory approach, "I don't think the idle chatter of two loyal officers is worth putting in a report ladies. Please, reconsider."

"Why don't you tell us what you know about all of this. Right now." Moka said, relaxing even further into her role. Being in the confines of the wrecked abode away from the press and neighbors helped considerably.

Inspector Suzuki, relented, "All right, all right…" He waved them back from some hanging, burnt timbers that looked ready to fall into the house. "It was a lightning strike." Moka and Mizore shared a glance. The inspector was off and running at the mouth now, as if he were baring his soul to a confessor. "The usual building code measures, the insulative materials, ground wires, none of it made a difference. The sheer power of this bolt of lightning must have been staggering. Our people are still running the numbers on that. As far as we can tell no one was at home when it happened, but we've been unable to get a hold of the owner."

Mizore caught Moka's eye from behind the sergeant, lowering her sunglasses and shaking her head slowly. It was rare Mizore showed that level of emotion and when she did, it normally wasn't fear. The inspector went on explaining what they told the neighborhood folk about electrical discharge from the basement, about a potentially illegal lab and all the other reassurances that go along with letting the public know something when in truth you have no idea what happened, or would rather they didn't. Moka rapidly learned all she could from this human officer and extracted herself from the situation. "Thank you, you've done good work here inspector. I'm certain our reports will reflect the great cooperation between our two divisions."

"You won't mind us taking a few minutes to examine the scene for ourselves," Mizore said, stepping next to Moka.

The inspector bowed, "Please, do your best. Let me know if we can assist in anyway. And let us know if you discover something that might benefit us both in this investigation."

Moka Bowed. The situation was diffused. Moka could focus on Mizore. "You're upset," she stated matter-of-fact. "What have you discovered?"

"I'm pretty sure Nagare Kano came here, Moka," Mizore said in a soft, shaken voice.

Moka leaned in, "What makes you so certain?"

Mizore pointed. Moka, glanced around to make sure they weren't being scrutinized by any of the other officers in the house remains, before following the direction Mizore indicated. She removed her sunglasses to make sure she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. To the untrained human eye, it was a mass of burnt slime, maybe from a burst plumbing line, maybe from garbage that hadn't been removed from the house yet. Moka recognized it for what it was: charred remains of a slug monster, splattered into the corner of the room. She and Mizore slowly pivoted examining everything they could from the one vantage point. Everything was smashed and burnt around the edges, from furniture to walls to framed pictures. Here and there, amidst all of it, was more mounting evidence Nagare had died there in the form of burnt slime piles.

"He was here when this happened," Mizore began.

"He was the target of this Mizore. This was a deliberate hit by someone wielding incredible power," Moka examined the entry hole that had collapsed much of the roof around it, apprehensively.

"We need to tell Tsukune," Mizore said, already plotting a route out of the collapsing structure.

"Let's see if we can find out anything else before we go," Moka said, jumping lightly down to the next floor amidst piles and shards of destroyed floorboards and shredded walls. Mizore clambered after her, watching over her shoulder as the police outside conducted their crowd and media control.

* * *

At long last, Tsukune said his final goodbyes to the Japanese government delegation. Two black cassocked acolytes saw the gentlemen out of the conference room in the administration building of Yokai Academy. They would be escorted to the tunnel where a special bus would pick them up and deliver them back to the human world. There, a second, human courier would retrieve them. Even after everything that had happened, Yokai Academy remained an institution for monsters run by monsters and Tsukune was working hard to keep it that way. To do it, he had to resist the advances of the most persistent, hungriest monster of all: Human government.

Whether it was a sign of goodwill, or just a misplaced gesture, Tsukune couldn't decide. But, one member of the government diplomatic corps gifted the Academy with an egg the size of a small watermelon. Orange and black colors on its surface depicted African style figures, mostly birds and thunderclouds. He had it sent to his office until he could figure out where to put it on display.

Stepping out of the admin building, Tsukune indulged his nostalgia and stared out the main gate at the road leading from the dorms. One he had walked so often. He looked away as a pink haired angel ran into his memories, green eyes alight and a fang hanging from her wide smile... "Akasha," he thought, deliberately giving his first love her real name in his memory. She deserved to be remembered as her own person and it was easier for Tsukune to recall her as such, not just a construct whom he had fallen for.

He turned his gaze on the gothic towers, recalling the admin building when it looked more like a spooky mansion. His eye lingered on his office and he wondered about Headmaster Mikogami. Tsukune's training had gone so fast in hindsight and the bus driver's term as interim Headmaster seemed so short now that Tsukune was given the reins of control. Had Mikogami always been immersed in intrigue like Tsukune found himself now?

"Headmaster," Ruby said, quietly bringing him out of his reverie.

Tsukune raised his eyebrows and did his best to lighten his expression for her. "Ruby?" He turned to face her, noticing immediately she looked like he felt. Her tight hair bun was coming loose, her eyes a little puffy and her posture slightly slumped. "You've worked so hard today Ruby, why don't you call it a night."

"I'm not tired Tsukune," she lied enthusiastically. "I will do anything you ask of me…"

Tsukune stared patiently. That sort of language would eventually have to stop, he knew. "Then call it a night," he said firmly before grinning at her. "Catch dinner with Lillith or the staff. Have a bath. Relax Ruby. I'll need you tomorrow."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Thank you so much Headmaster," she said genuinely. She lived to be needed. "I'm just going to drop off some paperwork in your office and I promise I will do as you…" Ruby put her finger tips to her bright red lips, stopping herself. "I will relax."

Tsukune threw a hand behind his head in a familiar gesture of relief. "Good," he said.

Ruby leaned, trying to catch Tsukune's eye. "Will you do the same, Tsukune? I saw you just now before you put on a happy face for me. You seemed to be carrying the weight of the world."

"Two worlds, Ruby. I just don't know how many times I can get things wrong…"

Ruby stepped forward and held up her finger to him to stay his words. "Tsukune, don't beat yourself up over Mizore this morning. Trusting her to go out with Moka this afternoon more than made up for asserting your authority so forcefully." Tsukune looked at her thoughtfully, but unconvinced. "It's hardest being in charge when you've risen from your peers to oversee them."

Tsukune stared at Ruby considering her words. "I'll think about that Ruby, thanks." She held her briefcase handle in both hands before her, swayed back and forth like a schoolgirl talking to her crush before flitting off towards the administration building.

Somehow, the footsteps were wrong… approaching rather than receding. When they stopped abruptly, Tsukune realized what was happening.

Moka landed on his back, almost toppling him despite her negligible weight. "Tsukune!" she called out happily as if she hadn't seen him in weeks. With a strength that belied her slight form she placed him in a friendly head lock. Using his as a fulcrum, Moka kicked off the ground and spun around Tsukune like pole before he caught her in his arms. Excited, grinning madly, she whipped her head back to clear her face of her long, silvery rose colored hair, tossing her bowler hat. Her glistening red eyes focused on her fiancé.

"Looks like someone is glad to not be in the human world anymore," Tsukune said sternly.

Moka flicked his nose making him blink. He laughed at her. "I knew you were in there, grumpy!"

"Moka," he said, grinning down at her. Moka snarled playfully at him, grabbing the sides of his face and pulling him down to her for a kiss. She bit his lower lip as he pulled away from her. He lifted her higher and closer to him, his forehead pressed to hers, taking in her scent like she was all the oxygen he needed. "So, this police uniform… is this a new thing for us?"

"In your dreams," Moka said sternly.

"That was the point," Tsukune said, setting her down on her feet as she stretched. "So how did it go in the human world?"

"Pretty sure Mizore has forgiven you."

"Well that's good news," Tsukune admitted. It had been difficult for him personally, but he thought it would be a good gesture to his friend and to Moka for that matter, to trust them on their own in the human world to gather intelligence on Nagare Kano. Especially after hearing from Issa Shuzen that his men had completely lost track of the slug monster at the Tokyo airport.

Moka paused, her enthusiasm waning, "You have any good news for me?"

"Just boring news from the hours long conference I had with the government officials. If you really want to hear about tax plans and …"

She cut him off, "I don't."

"Do you want to hear about Kurumu, maybe?"

Nodding Moka's expression brightened. Tsukune felt horrible for what he had to tell her next. "She's not coming home just yet. I'll have to tell her mother, Ageha… great." Momentarily distracted, he continued. "Mikogami's Sanc… my Sanction in America is going to do more undercover work using Nagare Kano's manager credentials and Kurumu is going to help him uncover what this is all about." There, he got it out. It didn't feel as good as he thought it might, but sharing the knowledge lessened some of the frustration he felt not being able to act fully himself at the time. "I just hope we can find that slug monster and stop him from causing anymore trouble."

Moka's aspect become very serious then. It was a change that had become commonplace for Moka as her true self and the remnants of her mother's consciousness within her resolved into a single true personality. This appeared to be more than that however, Moka was genuinely bothered.

Tsukune prodded her, "So, let's hear the rest of it then."

"Nagare Kano is dead." Moka said flatly. "It was a hit Tsukune. He was taken out deliberately by another monster. One that can control lightning. Somehow, they found out where he was running to. The place had been smashed from top to bottom and he didn't make it out of there."

Tsukune's ashen face went stony as all emotion drained from it. "Did you find out how he evaded the Shuzen family?"

Moka nodded, "Mizore and I found a basement drain he could have used to enter the house without anyone knowing. We talked to some of the neighbors, they didn't even know he had been back until someone accepted a delivery at the house."

"Delievery?" Tsukune asked, "Food, mail, online shopping?"

"We never found out," Moka said, somewhat dejected.

Tsukune watched her sympathetically, "Moka, I'm so pleased you were able to do this much! I know how you feel about the human world and what you went through as a young girl…"

Moka crashed into him and squeezed him, "Tsukune! I love that you are sympathetic to what I went through." Tsukune realized her squeezing hug was taking on a new dimension, becoming more of a crushing bearhug as his ribs creaked. "I know you love me and want to keep me safe. And I know it was a big step for you to trust Mizore and I on our own. I do. But if you patronize me again, I will show you your place." She leaned in quickly nipping at his neck before releasing him.

Tsukune, somewhat red in the face from being crushed, threw a hand behind his head looking appropriately chastised. "I understand, Moka…" He took a breath and composed his thoughts. While not meaning to patronize her, he wanted more information and clearly needed more patience while digging for it. Still, Tsukune's sense of urgency was peaked. He felt the press of events and the need to make decisions faster. "Is there anything else, Moka?"

"We found this," Moka reached into one of the pouches on the tactical vest she still wore and withdrew a palm sized piece of thin material, turning it between them. "Mizore and I think it's an egg shell. It was at the very bottom of the house in the dead center of where the lightning must have struck. How could that much of it even be intact?"

Tsukune took the shell from Moka. "What are these markings? They look familiar…"

"Didn't Ruby defeat a monster that commanded lightning when you invaded the Hanging Garden?" Moka asked, squinting at the shell. While she had not been present to see it, as her friends were on a mission to rescue her from Fairytale's floating fortress, she had heard the heroic tale of Ruby's standoff against a lightning wielding monster.

"A Raiju," Tsukune said with academic certainty. Knowing monsters had become a specialty of his. First to help in his survival in school, later to deal with them as headmaster of that same school. "They command lightning and thunder and can manipulate electricity. I've seen one in action. You and I would have trouble putting one down. There's no way a monster of Nagare's caliber could have survived facing a Raiju."

BANG!

Moka and Tsukune immediately pressed themselves together, back-to-back, ready to fight. The explosive sound still echoed around the grounds as they sought out its source. As one, their eyes went skyward where a clear violation of Yokai Academy rules was underway. Someone they immediately recognized as Haiji Miyamoto, former student, former head of the karate club and former on-again-off-again boyfriend of sorts to Moka's baby sister, was in his bird man form, flying and doing cartwheels in midair, trying to avoid being shot. His dark beak was closed tight and his black feathers were bristled in indignation. While he wasn't dressed in a karategi as he had done for years and years, he was wearing loose clothes that resembled one.

On the ground near the administration building, Moka's little sister Koko Shuzen held what looked like a very high tech shoulder mounted cannon. Her bright red hair as ever was tied in two high ponytails and she wore an outfit very reminiscent of what Kurumu used to wear to school, only in shades of black and red. Standing at the ready, her tiny form held the massive weapon seemingly effortlessly as she tracked Haiji's antics.

"Is he still trying to win her back," Tsukune asked, relaxing from his fighting stance.

Moka shook her head, "I don't know. It's not like their relationship was ever normal in any way, so who can tell?"

"I can see Ko-buddy's face on the side of that cannon," Tsukune pointed out the staring black eyes and stupid grin of the 200-pound shape changing bat on Koko's shoulder. "I didn't know he could shift to carry ammunition."

Moka made a face like she'd tasted something awful, "He can't."

Tsukune sighed. "He's shooting guano, isn't he?"

BANG! Another brownish smoky discharge erupted from ko-buddy and again Haiji had to dodge out of the way. "Get out of here, you crazy pervert!" they heard Koko yelling. Despite the appearance of being really upset, she seemed to be laughing and enjoying herself.

Tsukune and Moka made it to Koko and Tsukune plucked the 200 pound bat from her shoulder. "That's enough Koko-kun! I don't let my students get away with this sort of thing, I'm certainly not going to let you do it!"

Haiji Myamoto flapped his wings to keep himself alight near Tsukune's office windows. "I thought so…" he said, staring through the window. He called down, "Hi Tsukune! Hi Moka!" Not smiling, Tsukune motioned for Haiji to land. The crow tengu complied, slowly dropping toward the ground.

"Big sis, send him away," Koko said, folding her arms over her chest as Tsukune set ko-buddy – now a bat again – on her head.

"Why are you trying to kill him this time?" Moka asked, only mildly interested.

"Hey Tsukune!" Haiji called down. "You have an African collection going? Or does Yokai have more students from there?"

Tsukune looked sidelong at Moka before raising his voice to Haiji would hear him, "Why do you ask?"

"There's an egg from an Im…"

KRAK-BABOOM!

An intense, sun bright flash of blue white light blinded everyone in the area. The subsequent clap of thunder rumbled and exploded so loud it literally knocked the lot of them over. Even Mizore was blown out from her hiding spot, knocked backwards onto her butt. Tinkling bell sounds of glass shattering came next and the smell of burnt feathers. As the shock wore off, Tsukune's office, armored and warded though it was, had a hole blasted into its outer wall.

"Ruby…I just sent Ruby in there!" Tsukune climbed to his feet, grabbing Moka and Koko both and lifting them off the ground! "Ruby!" They screamed her name, trying to shout back reality and make Ruby all right when they reached her. Koko screamed separately as Haiji dropped out of the sky and hit the ground in a smoking mass.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** While not enough to raise the maturity reading level, be aware there is stronger language in this chapter. Also, thanks very much to everyone reading and commenting.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 _"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."_ – African Proverb.

"Kurumu, the yacht is that way."

Tomek and Kurumu stood face-to-face beneath the outsized golf umbrella, rain pattering overhead, staring one another down. Their standoff had begun almost as soon as the bus driver and Gin pulled away in the limousine. Kurumu suddenly seemed as determined to sneak aboard the cargo vessel as Tomek was set on sending her to the yacht where the other monsters were no doubt gathering.

Kurumu cast her gaze north, past the mind staggering enormity of the cargo shipyard. Across Elliot Bay, under the fast-moving rain clouds, she could make out the distant harbor where the yacht Storybook Garden was moored. Taking a deep breath of cool sea air, she shook her head and looked back up to Tomek. "I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not."

"I am."

Tomek took a step closer to her, careful not to run into her breasts, "Look, you can have the umbrella." He held it forward.

Kurumu cocked her head, considering his offer. "Are you going to carry my luggage?"

Tomek was taken aback, withdrawing the umbrella handle. "Why would I do that?"

"So I can carry the umbrella," Kurumu said patronizingly.

"What? No! Take the umbrella and your suitcase and go to the yacht."

Kurumu shook her head, smiling the smile of benign, parental patience, "But, I'm coming with you."

"No you're not."

She stepped forward, chest bumping him with her grand bosom, "I am."

"Why are you doing this?" Tomek leaned down towards her, angrily gritting his teeth.

"O-M-G, that looks so romantic. Get a pic of that!" said a girl's voice from nowhere.

"Romantic? More like cheesy," said another girl.

Kurumu eased down from her toes onto the soles of her wedges and Tomek straightened up. They turned their heads in unison to see who had spoken. A trio of teen girls and a male friend of theirs were all bringing up their phones, trying to coax Tomek and Kurumu into focus on their cameras. Handing off their coffee syrup drinks, two of them gestured unsubtly, staring at their screens, directing the pair where to stand in relation to each other and the background. The other two girls suddenly found themselves juggling their phones and two extra coffee tumblers. Enormously pleased, Kurumu smiled bright as day in the gray surroundings. She angled her head and hip, leaning towards Tomek.

Tomek rolled his eyes, taking Kurumu by the arm and jerking her around just as the camera flashes went off. "This is ridiculous!" he growled under his breath at her.

Kurumu watched her skirt flare as she spun, "Twirl factor!" she announced happily.

"No! No, you guys were so cute!" called one of the adolescents, presumably the first girl who spoke.

"So retro!" said the boy. "I got them spinning so it's blurred… oh and I got their legs under the umbrella." he told his friends, tilting his screen for them to see before lingering on his phone's handiwork.

"This looks like one of those "miss you" or "thank you" cards at the drugstore…" said another one of the girls, showing off her phone.

"Thank you for being hot," the boy joked making one of the girls laugh and the other two scowl deeply. They began to text each other with what images they had.

"This time hold the umbrella," Tomek forced the handle into Kurumu's hand as they walked away and she glared at him. He rummaged inside his suit jacket and pulled out what looked like an 'old-fashioned' flip phone. With a flick of his thumb to open it, he immediately began pressing the keys within.

"What…" she began.

"They marked me. I can't have that," Tomek said with an angry monotone that made Kurumu recoil emotionally from him. "If you have a phone, you might want to turn it off," he said. Hitting 'send', he closed the flip-phone, slipping it back into his jacket pocket.

"What? NO!" came a scream from behind them moments later. Three more voices raised useless objections soon after. Curses, accusations and an argument ensued.

Kurumu looked over her shoulder but only saw umbrella. "You… did something to them?"

"I erased their phone data. Only the last couple days. I'm not cruel," Tomek said, sounding somewhat cruel to her. He snatched back the umbrella. "And I'm not stupid. You've been drinking again."

"Pffft. Sound pretty stupid to me," Kurumu made a face and looked away from him as they walked side by side. "When the hell would I have had time to do that?" She 'hic-burped' and put a hand to her mouth, her guilty eyes bugging enormous.

"You think I didn't see you take the flask from inside the limo's fridge? No wonder you stopped your blubbering so fast. Baby got her bottle," Tomek said with his jaw clenched.

Kurumu's cheeks and ears flush red. "You don't understand," she said evenly. She wanted to be angry at this annoying human, but it took less energy to wrap herself in the idea that he would never understand the heart of a succubus. "Have you ever lost anything that meant the world to you?"

The long silence prompted her to look up at him. Stone faced, Tomek's eyes were in near constant motion, taking in the shipyard in totality and by pieces in a way Kurumu just could not bring herself to. Not even while buzzed. She had seen some human cities, she recalled clearly the Hanging Garden of Fairytale, and she remembered vividly the enormous monster Alucard. But something about the scale of this sprawling city harbor, this artificial place of metal and plastic and concrete, and these gigantic cargo ships serviced by cranes 10 stories tall made her feel small in a way that terrified her. Humanity's works seemed to be the forever backdrop against which individuals played out their lives, even more so than the natural world itself sometimes. No wonder humans nominally "ruled" the planet. The results of their frantic drive to build and create were staggering.

With no argument or rejoinder coming, Kurumu had time to feel irritated for not only having developed the instinct to steal the alcohol, but to actually drink it after. What had happened to her, she wondered, suffering an anxiety filled moment of guilt. She pulled the flask out from between her breasts. "How did you know?"

"Your scent changes," Tomek stated, taking it from her. "When you drink, I swear it comes out of you smelling like Lillies of the Valley."

"You're weird!" Kurumu yelled. "What difference does it make to you, anyway?"

"We're about to get onto a cargo ship that may be crewed by humans, or monsters, or maybe both. Chances are good, whomever they are, they may want to kill us for snooping around, Kurumu. I'd like it very much if that didn't happen! If you're going to insist on coming with me, I need you sober and aware!"

"Are you scared?" Kurumu asked, teasing.

Tomek didn't hesitate, "Yes. And so are you."

"No, I'm not," she lied automatically.

"Yeah, you are. And that's good. It means you want to survive." Turning his head, he stared down at her.

She squinted, angrily avoiding his gaze, her cheeks flushing even more red. Who the hell was he to say so? And how was he right, again? For brief minutes, caught up in the excitement of doing real undercover work, she'd forgotten her emotional anguish that had driven her actions the past couple months. Together with the exhilarating fear over the sheer scale of the human harbor and ships, the desire to end her suffering in the combat arena no longer figured in her mind. Not until Tomek brought it up. Jerk.

Tomek stopped. Kurumu did the same without thinking. In a similar unconscious move, she sidled closer to him. "What?"

He gestured with his chin, as he closed and shook off the umbrella. The rain had stopped. "'The Tiger's Decoy'. That's our ship. Looks like a feedermax… has its own crane too. Makes sense." The more self-sufficient the ship, the less human involvement would be needed at the docks when it loaded or unloaded. Tomek wondered how long this ship had been in active international operation. With a sense of cold foreboding, he also wondered about the U.S. Senator's aid he recognized in the pictures Nagare Kano had been taking. A U.S. Senator's office could have the necessary pull to make a number of people look the other way as a container ship full of monsters pulled into port.

Tomek predicted asking for double his fee from Yokai Academy for this job.

Kurumu saw the Chinese characters written on the side of the monstrous, flat vessel sitting next to docks, away from the enormous gantry cranes that were working constantly, unloading another, even larger ship. "You can read Chinese?"

"You're killing me, Sunrise," Tomek leaned in, pointing to the English words written horizontally over the Chinese on the hull.

Kurumu made a face, threw out her hip and looked away from him and the vessel. "I can't read English." She glanced at him. Now it was his turn to turn red. Inexplicably, she found that funny and quietly enjoyed a grin at his expense.

"You're not going down there dressed like that,"

"Yes I am," Kurumu argued imediately.

Tomek sought out and found a small cluster of buildings closer to them than the ships were. They would have what he needed. "C'mon,"

* * *

"Why do you get to keep your suit and I have to wear this smelly thing?" Kurumu was tucking her long blue hair under a hard hat. Tomek finished off the zipper on the front of her borrowed blue work jumpsuit, careful not to touch Kurumu's ample breasts in the process. Whoever the jumpsuit really belonged to, they were definitely not endowed like a succubus! It was like trying to contain two medicine balls in a Ziploc bag.

"Remember, we don't want to get noticed! Walking around with a compact supermodel would have gotten us caught in no time." He stood back from Kurumu, regarding her and nodded. Except for her large violet eyes, doll like features in a heart shaped face, lips like a strawberry and flawless skin, she looked like any other dock worker of Asian persuasion… Tomek exhaled a quiet curse, hoping this wouldn't be a complete disaster as he handed her the work boots from locker he picked opened.

Tomek adjusted a second hard hat he found on his own head and withdrew a pen from his shirt pocket. "It goes like this, Kurumu: Hardhat, clip board, suit, carte blanche."

"Card what?" Kurumu glanced up at him as she shoved the boots on.

"Carte blanche. It means this combination is magic and I can go damned near anywhere without answering lots of questions." To emphasize his point, Tomek showed off his hat, suit and clipboard as he spoke. Pretending to be startled, he remembered something, pulled a pair of glasses from his shirt pocket and put them on, dropping his arms open in a silent "ta-da" move.

"You look like an idiot," Kurumu said, suppressing a laugh.

"And you look plain," he said jamming her helmet lower onto her head. She grimaced under the pressure.

What did he say? Kurumu's face contorted into confusion as she looked one way and the other. "Were you calling me a supermodel before?"

"You better sober up, because now you're just making shit up." Tomek said. He busied himself with a series of clipboards hung in a row by the door leading out to the docks. Each was paired with a bar code scanner hanging below them. He grabbed another board, flipping through it.

Kurumu felt she was sober and knew what she heard. She crossed her arms, nodding and smirking knowingly. "Mm-hm. Now I know why I have to wear this. So you can try and keep your eyes off of me."

Satisfied with the documentation he found, he hung up the other clip board. "You think I can't?"

"Pfft," Kurumu rolled her eyes and sauntered closer to Tomek, smashing her glorious size "g's" into him. "I know you can't, human!"

Knowing it was dangerous, Tomek held eye contact with her. If she decided to charm him, there was nothing he could do. "You answer to the name on this uniform, get it?"

"What name?"

Tomek looked down at the name patch, "Lee. Easy enou…"

"You totally looked at my boobs!"

They stared at one another and Kurumu sucked in her lips, trying not to laugh in the stern human's face. Tomek didn't even blink. "We're going out this door, together. Stay with me, don't wander off, and don't charm any of the longshoreman or sailors. When we leave this place, it's going to be together. I am counting on you now. Understand?"

For an awkward moment, Kurumu was aware they were still pressed together. That became lost in the unexpected magic of being told someone was counting her! Feeling giddy, she wondered if she was still buzzed before speaking up. "What are we looking for?"

"We'll know when we see it. Ready?"

They left the employee area of the hanger together. Kurumu discovered quickly Tomek wasn't exaggerating about whatever "carte blanche" was. People that saw him, from other workers dressed like Kurumu, to supervisors in shirts and ties, to maintenance teams, all either waved or simply paid them no mind, like they belonged there.

The further they walked along the docks, the more Kurumu's memory was stimulated. "Hey, Tomek," she whispered, quickening her pace to walk alongside him. "I remember this place."

"Good," he stopped, pretending to examine one of the clipboards he had, making sure no one was close by to listen to them. "Can you find us a way back onto 'The Tiger's Decoy'?"

Kurumu nodded, falling into her roll and standing on tiptoes while pulling at Tomek's clipboards. She ran her finger along a line of words and then pointed at The Tiger's Decoy. Tomek followed her lead and saw a gang plank leading up to the second deck of the container vessel. "I remember I wanted to fly, but Nagare wouldn't let me. We ran down those stairs…"

"Nicely done, let's go."

They started across the wet black top, making a straight line to the ladder leading to a door to the second deck. That's when Tomek noticed the crane on The Tiger's Decoy was swinging their way, he paused and Kurumu did the same. A number of men were securing a twenty-foot steel container for transport and started hooking the crane leads to the box.

Tomek quietly cursed, "What's in that container? It's listed here as a return and addressed from South Africa."

Kurumu sneered, "Why don't you whip out your 'carte blanche' and make them show you."

"Crap…" Tomek walked away from her. She reached out and pulled him back forcefully.

"Silly human, watch this!" She ushered Tomek along until they were walking at an angle from the container door, were it open. Kurumu took a breath, a moment to think, then let loose with her succubus power.

The door lock bar on the container, apparently under pressure buckled in its catch and popped open. The worker closest to it barked a command to the rest of the team, "What the hell! I was told this was secure and ready for transport!" As Tomek and Kurumu watched her succubus illusion play out in the man's mind, the man undid the lock entirely, swung the bar up allowing the door to crack open just enough to see the inside.

"Well done! Did you see that?" Tomek asked.

Kurumu nodded quietly, "They're orange balls or melons or something." she whispered.

"Let's get on board. When they lift the container, all eyes should be on it."

With Kurumu in the lead, the two of them reached the temporary steel ladder truck and they ascended, unnoticed into the ship. They found themselves on a catwalk between the walls of the cargo holds. At the very end was another ladder leading up to the main deck. Kurumu waved for Tomek to follow her. His eyes sought out cameras or motion sensors before sneaking along behind the agile succubus. They stopped at the base of a vertical ladder to an open hatch. The sky and the side of another container were all they could see. "I'll go first," Tomek offered.

"That's what I was going to say! You go first," Kurumu whispered nervously.

Taking the clip board in his teeth, Tomek scrambled up the ladder making very little noise for someone his size. He all but launched himself through the hatch. In a moment's time, he was leaning back over, waving her up. She accepted his helping hand and swung out onto the deck with him as they pressed their backs to the cold, raindrop dotted steel of a dark blue forty-foot container on the main deck.

"It's lucky this was here. Unless someone is actively looking for us in the 4th cabin deck or from the bridge, we should be fine." He gestured to the monstrous, 6 story "T" of the cabin decks rising off the surface of the main deck well away from them.

The shadow of the twenty-foot crate occluded the sun for a moment and they watched it swing overhead. Together they sneaked around the edge…

…and dove right back around the container. A dozen people were assembling on the deck, watching the container come down. One of them stuck out immediately to both Tomek and Kurumu.

"That was the guy you…"

"Wasn't that the guy who…"

They both shook their heads, holding an index finger to their lips. Maintaining eye contact, they somehow understood they both knew exactly what the other was talking about. They both had seen the young punk who had grabbed Kurumu very inappropriately at the party. The one whose hair and pants she'd shredded with her claws right after. Tomek had to do a lot of apologizing that night to the little creep, Julian MacStephens, to extract Kurumu from that situation after he handled Nagare Kano. In years' past, Tomek might have had to arrest Kurumu as a Yokai Academy Sanction. It never came to that this time around, although if it had, Kurumu would have been long gone on a flight to Japan and he might have been on another case or taking it easy.

Tomek tapped his ear and pointed. Crouching, they both clung to the corner of the container, listening as hard as they could. Somehow, they tuned out the backdrop of humans talking, vehicles roaring around, loaders beeping while backing up, cranes dropping containers onto ships, all of it. As the container touched down on the deck, they could hear the clamps and hooks being removed. Chancing a peek, Tomek saw they could watch now, unseen, as the group of people lingered around the container door.

"What the hell?" he whispered. Two dark women in white kangas wrapped around them and over their heads stepped from around the box to stand next to the man they had both recognized. Very similar to the beautiful woman who had watched him removed Nagare Kano from the launch party, these ladies could have been her daughters. Once they were on either side of the smallish young white man, he seemed to become even more smug. Having shaved his head to correct for the damage Kurumu had unleashed on his hair, his bald head reflected the light, looking from one woman to the other with a mix of disdain and arrogance. Tomek recognized the senator's aid to the man's right looking anxious, wiping his own forehead with a handkerchief. For muscle, they brought a pair of men each, in the guise of secret servicemen.

"Xia-Long, it's been a while my friend," MacStephens said, holding open his arms. Beneath his blue pinstriped suit was the physique of a boiled noodle. Instead of a tie, he wore a few gold chains beneath his shirt on a hairless chest. "Where is your adorable little psychopath, Routier?"

A similarly eccentric looking Chinese man wearing black top hat and clothes directly from a steampunk cosplay, approached just within Tomek and Kurumu's line of sight. "Mister MacStephens," Xia-Long Maio said dryly. "As always, your manners and sense of etiquette impress."

Julian MacStephens' face turned an ugly red. He was not used to being challenged, ever, on any front. Especially not from some half-ass magician or whatever Xia-Long thought he was. He had no emotional or intellectual grounding on how to even deal with such rudeness. Raised in a tech family, constantly around tech, using tech to communicate to family and peers, in a business that wallpapered his life with money and everything else he could ever want, opposition was as foreign to him as Xia-Long and his attitude. "Fuck you, China-man. Do you have what I asked for?"

"Indeed. One of many reasons my associate Routier isn't present, as much as she enjoys taunting the weak." He smiled cruelly as MacStephens' grew angrier. Xia-Long had pushed as far as he could, he knew. Looking at the pair of vampirical Impundulu's on either side of MacStephens, Xia-Long knew at this moment, he was outmatched. How a simpering child, like Julian MacStephens, gained control of the immature lightning birds, Xia-Long could only guess.

"Let's see it then," Julian demanded.

"When I have confirmed the eggs are intact." Xia-Long stepped forward, pulling a small, soft ball size tuft fur from his coat that immediately sprouted proportional daddy-long-legs style legs and a massive single eye. The shikigami hopped to the top of the twenty-foot container, danced a nerve wracking staccato flutter of spidery steps all over it before jumping back down into Xia-Long's waiting hand.

MacStephens made a face. "Well?"

"Your African associates have been busy. All the eggs are here as you promised," Xia-Long bowed with mock respect. "And for you, straight from South Africa, as promised" Xia-Long motioned over his shoulder. "Doom's Torch, Heirloom of Vengeance of Saint Columba." A short, but thickly muscled Chinese man in a butler tuxedo, stepped into their line of sight, holding something they couldn't see on what looked like a silver serving platter.

"Show me," Julian snapped.

Xia-Long nodded and his man lifted the round cover from the tray. The affect was immediate.

The two African women standing next to him gasped and recoiled; half fainting, they clutched at the diminutive Julian MacStephens to stay upright. Xia-Long gave shudder like chills ran down his back and gripped the brim of his hat. Several of the nearby workers on the ship stopped what they were doing to look in horror at whatever it was beneath the tray cover.

Kurumu puked; just a single glob escaping her mouth and hitting the deck. Rolling, she fell into Tomek and he caught her. "What's happening?" she gazed up at him desperately.

"Oh, my God…" Tomek said on a horrified breath, watching her closely. She knew then, he knew exactly what was happening.

"I can't feel my wings… my thoughts are all closed in…" Kurumu's eyes fluttered as if she had just gone blind. She made a panicked moan a little loudly, prompting Tomek to scoop her up and draw her back from the edge of the container.

"Sh. Don't panic," Tomek told her softly. "Don't panic, it's temporary. It'll be okay." He hugged her to himself as she trembled violently, looking at her shaking hand as if she were trying to extend her claws.

"Graphic," Tomek heard Julian say. "All right, cap it up. Always a pleasure doing business with Fairytale."

Kurumu exhaled, wiping her tears into Tomek's suit shoulder. "It stopped!"

"They shouldn't have that," Tomek said in a low, dangerous voice. "I know that artifact and they shouldn't have that!" His breathing became shallow and his heart was racing.

"You're squeezing me," Kurumu said before wiping her nose on his shoulder as well. He relaxed his grip on her. "What the hell was that?"

"It's…"

Clicking and mumbling to itself, Xia-Long's Shikigami walked around the corner, blinking and drooling with its permanently smiling mouth. Despite having no obvious nose, it sniffed at Kurmuru's vomit before it's fat, bright green tongue hit the deck to lick a good portion of it up.

"That's gross!" Kurumu dropped from Tomek's arms and made to spear the thing with her right hand's nails. Understanding her aggression was directed at it, the shikigami pouted dramatically.

Then it went off. Like a fire alarm from a 1950's school building, it screamed in a single, guttural tone that echoed off every metal surface around, deafeningly loud!

Tomek and Kurumu both gave into instinct, charging, running right into each other and falling down. Grabbing each other's hand, they sprinted along between the containers, rounding the forty-footer and heading for the hatchway they had emerged from. The siren stopped abruptly, but someone shouted for them to stop! They had been spotted!

Down they jumped. Someone was already clambering after them! Alarms went off, almost as loud as the shikigami. As they ran for the open hatchway back to the dock, the steel door brusquely slammed, almost in their face. "Down! Find another hatch!"

Trying to move to the aft of the vessel along the passages only ran them into more guards. As of yet, no one had taken a shot at them, but Tomek and Kurumu didn't linger to see if there were weapons drawn or pointed at them. They wound up finding a hatch in the deck and a small crawl space they all but flew through, towards the fore of the vessel. They dropped into another corridor and ran along, the sounds of pursuit all around them. Seeing a maintenance hatch in the bulkhead, Tomek worked quickly to open it, ushering her through first.

"It's a dead end here!" Kurumu called from the darkness. Tomek pulled himself over and through a series of pipes and wires to see what had stalled their flight.

"Can you force it?"

"You think I didn't try?" Kurumu snapped.

"Here, climb up there and hold on.," Tomek pointed to several diagonal lengths of 1 ½ inch pipe above the bulkhead in the deck. Kurumu jumped and pulled herself up. "If anyone comes after us at least you'll be out of the way." Tomek couldn't make sense of what he was seeing in the low light of the maintenance tunnel. Taking a chance, he kicked at what he thought was a release bar…

…which released the floor below him…

"That shouldn't happen…" he said, utterly confused as he dropped into open air.

As he fell, Tomek marveled at the construction of the ship; it was his nature, he couldn't help but absorb the information. Nearly the entire inside, as far as he could see by the tiny lights along the spine of the vessel, was hollow. The fore was closed to the ocean by massive doors. They had to be doors because the hydraulics on either side of the seam were gigantic. It seemed an odd way to take on cargo, unless you were picking up other ships, Tomek thought.

And that was all he had time for. Quietly, he prayed there was enough water below him that he wouldn't break his legs; that he hadn't fallen so far, his velocity would make the water no softer than concrete… and that Kurumu would be safe. His initial job was getting her home safe. As he closed his arms and legs to hit the water below with as small a profile as possible, he looked up and saw her hovering stories above him, her wings sleek and black in the near darkness.

WHAM!

* * *

"Oh him." Julian MacStephen's voice trickled in from the ether. "His little blue haired bitch of a monster tried to cut my balls off last night."

"I know his monster friend. She's dangerous when off her tether," Xia-Long stated.

"Well, she was going to let him die. If she wants off so badly, kill them both." MacStephens said bluntly.

"What?" Kurumu screamed.

That woke him up. Tomek's eyes snapped open and he instinctively went for his sidearm. Finding his shoulder holster empty was not a surprise. Without help, he sat up, grimacing at the salty wetness he was laying in. "Well," he started, leaning back on his hands.

"'Well' what, human?" Xia-Long asked, a little sinister, walking into Tomek's line of sight.

"Just counting my bones. Trying to figure out if this salt water came out of me…" After the fall he experienced, he wasn't convinced he hadn't pissed himself. "What the hell are you dressed up as? A steampunk ringmaster?"

"I am Xia-Long Maio, head of the Maio family and your very temporary host aboard my ship." He walked closer to Tomek who stood up before him, dripping onto the floor. He made a point of not treading in the water. "But before you leave us, I would very much like to know what you and the Yokai Academy dunce here heard."

"Heard?" Tomek wiped salty brine from his face, wildly annoyed at all the ocean grit now under his clothes. "Well, I've heard there is no actual contract out for you right now, ringmaster Maio. And frankly, that is the only thing saving your life."

The room erupted in laughter. Tomek took a good look around himself finally. A deck or two below the bridge, he was in a large, recreational type room of bookshelves, plush couches, artwork and other distractions. Kurumu was nearby, still in the work jumpsuit sans the helmet and flanked by two yellow skinned ogres not in human form. Each had a huge, clammy hand on one of her shoulders. She would not look at him, but that was another matter. A balcony ran around the room holding several monsters in human form, holding Chinese made Kalashnikovs aimed loosely towards Tomek. He calmly marked each one of them. Seeing two of the kids that had tried taking his and Kurumu's picture was a surprise! The boy and girl stood together, drinking coffee and watching him with cunning eyes.

What unsettled him most was the small girl, timidly making her way onto the deck from the exterior ladder. Routier, known to most of the Sanctions as a dangerous sadist, dressed in a pretty floral mini dress. Her small horns were already sprouted from her skull and she had empty shark's eyes. Who he didn't see were Julian MacStephens or the African twins.

"How did you get the Saint Columba artifact?" Tomek asked, anger plain in his voice. "And what does that piece of crap MacStephens want with it."

Xia-Long considered Tomek's questions, "The artifact no longer has a home in South Africa. Its residence and its protectors are no longer with us." He stopped pacing, looked from beneath his blond bangs at Tomek and resumed. "I see this grieves you, human. Another thing about you I would know." He went on speaking, but Tomek was not listening.

There was a darkness taking shape in Tomek. The artifact was wielded by a very close friend of his from when he was in the military. To hear that she was dead, from a villain like the head of the Maio family was heart wrenching. Something Tomek saw then, caused him to smile outwardly. It was unexpected mana from heaven at that moment and it gave him all the impetus he needed. "One thing I have heard." He interrupted Xia-Long who had been speaking.

The Chinese Yasha spun to face him, his face contorted with rage. "What are you so anxious to tell us, human, that you dare interrupt me?" He held his skull topped cane out towards Tomek, shaking with anger.

Tomek raised his hand, catching the solitary snowflake that landed on his index finger. Where it should have dissolved on contact with the salt water, it did not. This snowflake was different. "It gets cold this time of year in the Northwest," he said with a grin.

There was a noise like a snow ball, bursting against someone's jacket, following by the tinkling of bells and many cracks and groans of ice solidifying as everyone in the room was abruptly frozen in blocks of ice. Hoarfrost covered every inch of the bulkheads, deck, windows and furniture.

Tomek shivered as his clothes stiffened up; his being drenched in salt water keeping him from joining the rest of the individuals there. He stepped carefully over to Kurumu and plucked her from the hands of the Ogres who watched impotently as he took their prisoner away. "Can you move?"

Kurumu nodded, "M-Mizore is here?" she asked, not quite looking at Tomek.

"Not exactly. Let's go." He walked her towards the door, stopping near Xia-Long and the little girl, Routier, in the floral dress. "This isn't over," he whispered. Feeling pure dread, he watched with contempt as a smile spread slowly across the girl's face. Xia-Long in the meantime, stared at him, terrified.

"C'mon," he nudged Kurumu's arm. "I said we were walking in together, and now out together. Just like in the plan."

He opened the door to the outside ladder, closing it behind them. They hadn't even reached the next landing down when someone came up that shocked Kurumu to her core. "Mrs. Shirayuki!" There stood Mizroe's mother, dressed in the exact same worker overhauls as Kurumu. The sun glinted off her pupil free, ice blue eyes and her white skin stood out against the drab colors of the wharf.

The snow woman smiled coyly, removing her sucker from her mouth. "Hello Kurumu. I can't tell you how happy I am that you are no longer missing! Hello Mr. Zagorski."

"Tsurara," Tomek said with a grin. He moved the rest of the way down swiftly and Mizore's mother likewise went at him. They hugged briefly but firmly. "Thank you for that! You saved our lives."

"Tom," Tsurara said, warmly. She looked down at her clothes and his, her mouth screwed up some after he got her wet. "We don't have much time. I will be missed on the yacht."

"Well, I don't think we can count on being flown out of here," Tomek said dryly, looking accusingly at Kurumu. It was the first he had mentioned her letting him fall, perhaps to his death. Her eyes dilated and teared up.

"Follow me," Tsurara said taking Tomek's hand. He gestured for Kurumu to follow.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 _"Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them." – Albert Einstein_

* * *

"I wasn't going to see him any-m-m-more. But I didn't want him to d-die!" Sobs wracked Koko's slim frame. Seated between Moka and Tsukune, she leaned heavily on her sister, her face lost in Moka's silvery, rose tinted hair. Moka had one arm around Koko and rubbed the younger vampire's back with her free hand. Above them, Ko-buddy's face looked suitably miserable as he flapped his wings, remaining at the ready.

Lifting her tear streaked face from her sister's shoulder, Koko turned to Tsukune and noticed Mizore who was unexpectedly crouched next to him. "Is Ruby alright?" she asked, wiping her nose. Tsukune offered her his handkerchief. She took it to wipe the edges of her green cat eyes.

"I'm about to go in and see her. As soon as Doctor Yuji says it's okay." Tsukune said quietly.

"I will go and see what is taking so long," said Lillith from Tsukune's shoulder. She had been hugging the right side of his face, crying into his dark hair. Not knowing what else he could do for the fairy, and already having given Koko the handkerchief from his suit pocket, he picked up a tissue from the box on the nearby coffee table. Tearing a small square off, he handed this to Lillith who blew her nose dramatically next to his ear.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Lillith said, folding the tiny tissue and flying off Tsukune's shoulder. She zipped down the hallway of the ICU in the Yokai Academy infirmary. Ko-buddy flew after her, paused to reconsider and streaked back to be near Koko.

Nurse practitioner Mayumi Tsumugi, wrapped head to toe in bandages beneath her white lab coat, with only her dark eyes and black hair peeking out, approached the group. Lillith hovered just above her shoulder. "Doctor Yuji said it is okay for you to see Ruby, but only one or two at a time. She is still very disorientated from the blast and we are re-balancing her electrolytes."

"What else can you tell us?" Moka inquired.

"Her ear drums survived intact, but she suffered Lichtenberg figure burns on her lower legs and feet. We were able to remove her ankle boots and save her toes. Doctor Yuji and I believe she was able to assume an optimal position just before the strike."

"She had warning, Tsumugi-san?" Tsukune asked, amazed. "We did not. Nor did Haiji…" Koko's pitiful, suppressed moan distracted both him and Tsumugi. Tsukune chanced a glance over his shoulder. Koko had covered her mouth tightly, squeezed her eyes shut so tightly, tears squirted out the sides, before collapsing back onto Moka.

Mayumi Tsumugi's many bandage wraps concealed her facial expression, but her eyes conveyed her neutrality. "I can only make assumptions based on her injuries, Headmaster."

Tsukune threw a hand behind his head, but this time to comfort himself as anxiety ripped through him, making it difficult to breathe or even just stand there. He wanted to run, or lash out, or close his eyes and make all of this just stop. He sought out Moka's gaze and reassurance, dismayed when he saw that she was seeking the same exact thing from him. Her sister's tears, on top of everything else that was happening, aggrieved Moka enough without him appearing weak, Tsukune decided. He started by showing her a brave, confident face. He even managed nodding reassuringly. She smiled back at him, the relief evident in her watery red cat eyes. Her faith and trust that he would do right by them hit Tsukune's conscience like a cargo container ship had just been dropped on him.

He looked at Mizore. The snow woman moved, perched on the other side of Koko, nervously wishing there was something she could do. "Moka, I can wait with Koko," Mizore said softly. "Tsukune needs you at his side." She looked sidelong at Tsukune and he wondered briefly if she witnessed his moment of doubt before comforting Moka. Not much escaped Mizore's attention when it was focused.

Moka nodded, "Stay with Mizore, Koko. I will be right back."

Koko acknowledged her, staring down at her own knees. "I'm not going anywhere, big sis. Father sent me here to watch over you guys. I don't think he expected something like this…" She peeked up at Moka then looked away, sniffling as she regained control after her outburst.

Moka looked sharply at Tsukune who appeared equally surprised at Koko's news. He motioned for her to follow him. Mayumi Tsumugi was already walking down the dim hallway. With a final backward glance at her little sister, Moka hurried to Tsukune's side and they walked towards Ruby's room hand-in-hand.

Tsukune slowed his pace, Moka responding in kind. "I know Koko is devastated," he whispered to her, "but has anyone asked why Haiji was here at Yokai Academy?"

Moka leaned into Tsukune as they walked, without affecting their pace. This was thanks to their bodies' physical memories, used to moving as one, after years of practice. She whispered back, "Koko said they met on the way from the tunnel entrance. After that, they started arguing almost immediately. That's all I could get from her."

"She's going to be okay?"

"She'll be okay," Moka assured him. "Koko's grown up a lot in the last few years. It's probably what drove the two of them apart," Moka said, coldly analytical. She paused at the threshold of the room holding Ruby, her attempt to remain in a stoic state-of-mind faltering. Tsukune grabbed her right shoulder with his left hand, she grabbed his left shoulder with her right. Readied, they nodded and came together with their arms sliding and wrapping around each other as they entered.

Ruby lay propped up amidst a pile of sterile hospital pillows, her long black hair free from its usual pigtails, having been hurriedly tied back in a single long ponytail. A heart monitor ticked off her heart rate with quiet beeps. Her blood pressure and blood oxygen levels were displayed in colorful digital on the screen by her bed. IV bags quietly dripped into catheters in both her thin arms. Her blankets were pulled up slightly, revealing both her feet thoroughly bandaged.

"Ruby…" Tsukune whispered. He and Moka squeezed each other as they approached the bed. Ruby appeared in rough shape.

Ruby's head rolled to see them, her eyes uncrossing as they opened. Immediately she started to cry. "I'm so sorry Tsukune, Moka…"

"Ruby no. Don't say that! You didn't do anything wrong," Tsukune assured her. He and Moka were at her side now, Moka gently brushing her straight bangs and some of her loose hair from her face.

"I saw Haiji. …pointing at the egg from the widow. He knew what it was…" Ruby grimaced in pain. For once, she didn't seem to draw any pleasure from it. It was serious.

Tsukune opened his mouth to interject, but Moka stopped him with a gesture. Tsukune understood and instead gripped Ruby's shoulder. What was it about the hospital bed that suddenly made her seem so small, he wondered, holding onto her with a tender grip. "I heard it crack. I heard the thunder inside of it. Then… my hair stood up. Then… then I knew what it was…oh Tsukune… I tried, but my wand…"

She cried silently a moment, her bottom lip pouting and tears flowing from her closed eyes as she continued speaking incoherently, "… and it hurt me!" she finished clearly. Pitfully moaning the word "ow", she suffered from an agony they didn't know how to alleviate.

Tears slid down Moka's cheeks. She sat on the bed, holding one of Ruby's hands, alarmed by how young and helpless Ruby seemed in her disorientation. Tsumugi moved to end their visit, but the tear laden eyes of her Headmaster stayed her. "Not much longer now. She is a strong witch and will heal, but I have to help her manage her pain!" the nurse said.

Trembling, Ruby raised her other hand and gripped Tsukune's shirt sleeve. She got control of her breathing and smiled at him. "I know how to help you find who did this… It was another witch! The egg…" she grimaced, the raw pain from inside her legs stinging like wasps trying to get out of her skin. "Impundulu egg." Ruby whispered. "They are controlled by a powerful witch…" Her eyes wandered, looking through them all as though Ruby became confused.

"She's going to pass out. I'm sorry, Headmaster or not, you have to go now!" Tsumugi stepped forward already prepping to inject medicine into one of Ruby's IV's.

Ruby shook her head, forcefully, surprising them. "…master. Tsukune, listen to what I did… what you can do." She motioned for Tsukune to lean in, her eyes alight with familiar cleverness, lined by crows-feet born of stress and pain. His face conveyed to Moka what he thought of the wild long shot Ruby whispered to him.

He leaned down to softly kiss her forehead, "Get back on your feet Ruby," he said, understanding what she needed to hear. "I will need you more than ever."

"Yukari is on her way, Ruby," Moka chimed in, gripping Ruby's hand tightly before sliding off the bed. "Be strong."

Swept from the room by Nurse Tsugumi, they hurried to the others.

* * *

"Sskoo-nay," whispered a menacing voice.

Tsukune stood near the blackened gash in his office wall. Miraculously and thanks to the design of his predecessor, the administration building was spared widespread destruction. The kind that had decimated Nagare Kano's safe house. Wards that protected the building magically, the barrier separating the monster world from humankind in Japan and the sturdy architecture all ensured the lasting integrity of the office. And while the impact of the lightning left an impressive hole on the outside of the building, inside, it manifested as more of a tear through the plaster and paneling. So, with Tsukune standing at the only flaw in the layers of protection, how was it a voice came from behind him, within his own office?

"Skoo-nay. I know you are there," said the heavily accented voice. It was deep and velvety smooth, almost hypnotic.

Swallowing convulsed his dry throat. The forever autumn scent of the Academy grounds riding the breeze through the wall hole smelled like ash to him, at that moment. Tsukune felt separated from himself, feeling nothing. At times like this, his thoughts would turn to the forever bright center of his life, Moka. But in these circumstances, feeling the world closing in on him, Tsukune pushed her from his mind, lest he become soft. His love and devotion to her, the best thing life had gifted to him, suddenly felt like the torn hole in his office wall. A hole in armor otherwise inviolate. Tsukune did not share most of the weaknesses of vampires, yet his were no less potent. He had to keep his wits about him, now that Ruby's prediction and his measures were coming to fruition.

His shadow was cast against the wall; something came to light in his office. Curious, too numb to feel dread, Tuskune slowly turned. His mouth came open, but unsure whether to shout or gasp or curse, it remained slack.

There, in the center of his desk, from the waist up, was the glowing image of a very dark skinned man, so chiseled with lean muscle he appeared drawn, like a work of art. In one hand, the man held a staff made of vertebrae bones, adorned with the hollowed-out head of some giant bird, feathers draped beneath it. Bright painted figures of birds, bird men and thunder clouds made their way eerily across his dark chest, into his arm pits, and presumably, around his back as well. His eyes were like two dollops of ink on eggs. Unreadable.

"Who…"

"Skoo-nay Aono. 'Eadmaster of da Yokai Academy. I knew you were lurking in the da shadow."

"Who are you?"

The man sneered at Tsukune, gazing contemptuously from wherever he was, "If you must know, I am called MnQobi, South African branch leader of Fairytale."

It was Tsukune's turn to sneer, his canines noticeably longer. "Maybe it hasn't reached your branch offices yet, but we dismantled Fairytale years ago. They're a bunch of nobodies and has-beens, using monstrels to do their dirty work."

MnQobi flattened his mouth into a long line, took a deep breath through his nostrils while squinting at Tsukune. "I know how you took apart Fairytale, Skoo-Nay 'eadmaster! We be doing to the same now to you! And we will go on taking away all your deputies and friends until only you remain! A nobody. A has-been. A mongrel like the monstrels! Your goals of peace and harmony with da humans," he waved his other hand like he was scattering something, "ashes."

Tsukune's trembling hand condensed into an iron hard fist. Either this MnQobi had no idea who he was talking to, or he was so confident, that threatening a Shinso-vampire was just something on his to-do list next to polishing his bone collection.

"Why? What do you gain?" Tsukune demanded, lunging at the desk.

"Control of Fairytale! An end to the monstrels! Forever! Like that pretender piece of mongrel trash who tinks he's in charge now! Dressing up his corpse boyfriend and playing house when there is a war to be fought! Disgusting! And an end to you, Skoo-Nay 'eadmaster!" His ghost hand pointed out from the desk dramatically. "We could have been allies facing this monstrel scourge, as we are with da humans who help us now. But in dee end, you are little better than a chimera yourself!"

Tsukune chuckled and threw a hand behind his head. "Y'know, I couldn't decide if you were really serious with your threats, or if you were just an idiot shooting off his mouth."

"And?"

Tsukune leaned down on his desk, staring into the black eyes of Mnqobi. "I'm thinking of a four-letter word, and you're full of it, MnQobi. The monstrels aren't organizing and anything they've done recently has had the backing of your so-called organization! Sorry your bosses aren't keeping you up-to-date. You're just a lonely witch making up reasons to hurt people."

"Is that what you think?

"How are you even talking to me. This is supposed to be an untraceable conduit for communication." Tsukune said, frustrated.

"Innocent Blood." MnQobi declared before laughing heartily. If Tsukune had heard that first from MnQobi, he most likely would have flown into a rage that would have torn down the administration building around him. Fortunately, Ruby had whispered to him how she had managed to get her blood on the communicator, enabling the possibility of this meeting. She predicted correctly the witch responsible for such a feat would want to take the chance to gloat. MnQobi went on, "First da egg let me guide da lightning to you, and then the blood of whomever was dere to receive da lightning let me speak to you. So you see, underestimate me and you be making a grave mistake Skoo-"

"I've heard enough! I'm talking now!" Tsukune yelled, slamming his hands on the desk top and letting his youki loose. Wherever MnQobi was, he was not immune to what his soul witnessed when Tsukune revealed his monster aura. His eyes widened in pure, mind shattering terror before Tsukune. But that wasn't the real exercise in power Tsukune had in mind. If this Mnqobi was connected magically to his desk, and through poor Ruby's blood, he was about to get the surprise of his life!

Tskune rolled up his shirt sleeve, revealing the ever mounting, black outlined red lightning beneath his skin, arcing now and then outside of his flesh. He wasn't just a vampire. He had been physically deconstructed and rebuilt to channel magic by one of the greatest Yasha magic users in the last few centuries: Touhou Fuhai. He knew MnQobi wasn't expecting what came next, so he let the witch watch it unfold.

"I will never forgive, anyone who hurts my friends." Though spoken calmly, Tsukune used his own magic, projecting his voice so MnQobi heard it directly next to his ears, as though Tsukune were standing behind him.

Tsukune's hair became shock white, his eyes flashing bright, blood red. His fist arced up, and racing the red lightning downward, punched the bloodied control board for his communication system.

MnQobi let out a single, piercing scream and the image of him blinked out of existence.

* * *

The shock burst through his bone staff, splitting it in several spots. Powdered, burnt marrow from within the many vertebrae and the flash of red magical energy tainted the entire room in blood scent. Everything loose rattled in the bed chamber, mirrors broke, and MnQobi was sent crashing to the floor, hard.

The hauntingly beautiful African woman near the door of the cabin aggressively moved on him instantly. Bloodlust drove her two front teeth together, elongating them into an evil looking fork. MnQobi sat bolt upright from the floor, holding his staff out to her. "I am still in control here, Impundulu! It is I that commands! You will not act against me!" he bellowed, somewhat frantic.

Her bright white teeth shrinking back into her pink gums, the woman rearranged her kanga some, gazing at MnQobi coldly, with hungry eyes.

* * *

Hearing the massive impact and breaking glass, Kurumu and Tomek looked up at the deck in the cabin. "Tsukune?" Kurumu asked on a whisper.

"Why did you say that?" Tomek asked.

Kurumu pointed upwards, watching Tomek sidelong before considering the deck again. "Just for a second, before that thud… I don't know. I thought I sensed Tsukune's monster energy." When the impact was not repeated, they relaxed as much as they could, considering their circumstances.

Tsurara had proved her adeptness by retrieving Kurumu's suitcase and Tomek's briefcase, before dropping them at the yacht club. From there, they boarded and Kurumu was separated from Tomek while she got measured and weighed thoroughly. There was a tense few moments when Julian MacStephens came aboard the yacht Storybook Garden, but he and his entourage left, never even laying eyes on Kurumu or Tomek. The two of them were escorted by helpful stewardesses to a very luxurious cabin on the main deck.

"Are you going to be able to fight in that?' Tomek said, seating himself on the bed. One arm was folded across his midsection, supporting his other as he stroked his goatee thoughtfully. The outfit Kurumu had brought back to the cabin looked like a shrunken collection of nylons, with silvery circuitry laced within the fabric.

"They made me stand on a lit pad and passed a dozen lasers or something over me… Then they gave me this." Kurumu gestured at the hanging material, moving into Tomek's peripheral. She noticed the closer she got to him, the stiffer his posture and the more mechanical his goatee stroking became. He was definitely deep in thought; about what she couldn't quite guess, but she had an idea as she moved even closer in her wisp of a nightie.

"It looks like colored air with circuitry sewn in, but it's supposed to be pretty sophisticated tech. Like a motion capture outfit. According to the manager briefing you could swim in this, mountain climb, ride a bike, run a marathon…sleep even," Tomek reached out and took a swipe at the unit where it hung on a hanger, making it sway. He half expected his hand to pass right through the delicate material.

Kurumu brushed past him, watching him the entire time out of the extreme corner of her eye, "I prefer to wear something like this to bed." She threw a hand behind her head, thrust out her hip and bent forward some showing off her every outstanding physical asset with little to be imagined. "Yahoo-hoo," she sang to herself. Watching Tomek flush an embarrassed shade of pink was worth it, she decided.

Tomek scooted over, allowing her easier bed access, deliberately ignoring the effects the cool cabin air and soft sheets had on what lay beneath her practically sheer night gown. Tomek began, scratching a probably imaginary itch above both of his eyebrows with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand; the move blocked her from his view until he was ready. "So… I have to bring this up," he began with trepidation.

She was afraid this would come up. How she failed him completely at The Tiger's Decoy and let him fall, potentially to his death. He had been right of course, she had been drinking and it was a direct result of her not being at her best that incident happened at all.

"How do you know Ms. Shirayuki?" she asked, blocking. "And Ginei? I though Gin was working with San at a seaside Inn in Japan!" Kurumu flipped up into bed, inserting herself under the covers, but bringing her knees up to her chest. It seemed hot suddenly in the cabin.

Tomek smiled, "Gin is still working at the Inn. He talks a lot about San. Maybe he'll man up and settle down with her."

"That's what I think he should do, too!" Kurumu said enthusiastically.

"In the meantime, there's a few of us that are grateful for his help." His expression collapsed, his eyes far away suddenly. Before emotion overtook him, he looked back at the suit Kurumu was issued. "Tsurara is fulfilling a childhood dream, and Headmaster Aono is making that happen for her," he said offhandedly. "She is very good at what she does. We know each other."

He beheld Kurumu, looking as innocent as she could, like a kid at a sleepover. Every instinct Tomek valued told him to get himself and her the hell off that ship and send her back to her friends in Japan. Kurumu was not Tsurara or Ginei, this sort of work was not for her. Despite all the positive things he'd read about her in her files, Kurumu was still on the razor's edge of her emotionalism over losing Tsukune Aono to her best friend. Already her grief and drinking had nearly cost him his life. What made Nurari the bus driver think the two of them could accomplish that Tsurara and Gin couldn't with that sort of disability in play?

And there was his answer, hidden in the open. When Headmaster Mikogami created the Sanctions, it wasn't to terminate monsters gone rogue, though that happened sometimes. The Sanctions were his way of helping. They saved innocent humans from very real dangers of monsters losing control, they kept monsters from being hunted and destroyed by humans but mostly, they saved monsters from themselves. Tomek shrugged mentally. If that was how this mission was defined, he'd have to find a way to make it work. That was what he did now.

"Kurumu, we need to talk about…"

"It's funny, isn't it?"

A little perturbed, Tomek glanced at her, squinty eyed. "What?"

"This is how our day started. You sitting on my bed."

He looked directly at her, then down at himself. 'Our day'? To be fair, his time with her started at the penthouse party. But, since before sunrise, she'd been his one constant companion since the night before and he was sitting next to her on the bed, in a luxury accommodation. She was half dressed again, but sober this time and he didn't have a garbage pail full of her vomit next to him. "Kind of full circle, huh?" he asked, sparing her the gory details of comparison.

She smiled shyly. Her failure and his near-death experience was still an unspoken sore between them. Now entirely sober, Kurumu felt terrible about it. That was not who she was! Even though they had only known each other for maybe half a day, she would never have let anything happen to the human… if she was in her right mind, that was. _The old me wouldn't have let him fall_ , she thought. _I really screwed up_.

"Well, it wasn't a horrible day, anyway," he conceded, standing up.

Kurumu sighed inwardly.

"Except for that fall I took," he said with his back to her.

Kurumu was crestfallen. "Look... Tomek, I'm really sorry…"

"Don't be sorry," he said firmly. "Just don't do it again." He turned around, leaning on the doorway. "When I told you I was counting on you, I meant it. Nothing has changed that. You let me fall…"

"I was in those pipes! My tail…" she began frantically, kneeling up on the bed.

Tomek waved away her tirade before it could get out of control, "Because reasons. That's why. We both made it through, we both get another shot at doing it right tomorrow. Together."

With her violet eyes enormous, she waited for him to turn on her and start shouting. He never did. "You're not… angry?" Kurumu settled down, easing back into the bed, watching him warily.

"No. No hard feelings, Kurumu." He turned to leave her cabin.

"Tomek," she called.

He paused at the door to the corridor, looking over his shoulder, waiting patiently. Now that he'd let her know there were no hard feelings, he was hoping she could come to terms with her destructive behavior and leave him out of it. On top of everything else that went beyond the original scope of his job, helping a succubus through the early stages of becoming an alcoholic never, ever occurred to him as something he'd be doing.

"Would you… make me breakfast again, in the morning?"

A little stunned, Tomek turned towards her. While she was a great actress, she still wasn't the best liar, as odd as that was. But, all Tomek saw in her expression was genuine anticipation of his answer. "If that's what you want."

She smiled with all of her face and eyes before squinting and nodding. "Please," she said. Nervous for a moment, Tomek felt like he had just watched the sun come up the way her smile brightened the room. What was that about, he wondered? He turned to go.

"Where are you going?"

He gestured with a flick of his head. "To make friends with the chef, if I'm going to be in his space tomorrow making breakfast. Now go to sleep!"

"Yahoo-hoo!" Kurumu rolled over and into the blankets, staring out the window at the tiny lights of Seattle receding as the yacht slowly crossed the Puget Sound.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 _"Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him." – Groucho Marx_.

* * *

Chef Sean finished giving his tour of the Storybook Garden's on-board kitchen facilities for Tomek. Having found a ready student in the younger man warmed him into sharing his work space. "Actually, you'll be doing me a favor," he assured Tomek, grinning. He turned, hanging up his chef's coat on a brass hook next to his apron and chef hat.

Crossing the kitchen space with the speed born of inside-out familiarity, Chef Sean offered his hand. The two men shook on it amicably. "Just leave everything on and I'll be in right behind you, ready to work!"

"I appreciate it." Tomek sized up the facility, finding it better equipped than almost any professional kitchen he'd ever been in. "My ward has specific tastes," he shrugged, outwardly apologetic. Chef egos could be fragile things. Fortunately, Chef Sean of the Storybook Garden had proven remarkably easy going.

"Mm." Chef Sean lowered his voice. "I'm not supposed to ask, but what kind of monster are you working with?" Nervously he glanced at either kitchen entrance. One led to the servants' quarters of the lower deck, the other was a set of stairs leading to the main deck.

Tomek leaned in conspiratorial and lowered his voice, quieter than the chef's. "I'm not supposed to tell you, but she's a succubus."

"No!"

"Oh yes," Tomek leaned back, crossing his arms and nodding slowly.

"That's a real thing? Really?"

"She's real all right."

Chef Sean shook his head, bemused. "I'm still getting used to that whole idea. Monsters… y'know? Huh! A succubus!" He stepped even closer, leaning nearer. "Is she hot?"

"She's on the short side, but you've never seen anyone like her. I promise you that."

"Dude, I'm from California," the chef said incredulously.

"I promise you, chef. She's two, maybe three points above a '10'."

"How is that even possible?"

Tomek tapped his nose and winked. "It's called 'The Ultimate Scale' my friend."

Chef Sean and Tomek both nodded, trading 'man' knowledge, how the impossible could be made possible. "To 'The Ultimate Scale'," the chef raised his beer bottle and Tomek clinked his drink tumbler against it. Together, they finished their drinks with a final gulp.

"We have a woman like that on our staff now," as he spoke, Chef Sean grabbed Tomek's tumbler and set it in the sink, pitching his bottle into a recycling bin.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe not above a 10, but right there. She's not Korean… Japanese I think. Very cute. Like a doll or a princess. Big almond eyes, nice ra-yyeeek…shit! Sue! How long have you been there?" Chef Sean dropped his hands away from his chest where they were performing a size pantomime.

Tomek almost laughed out loud in the man's plump, embarrassed face. He turned, seeing Tsurara Shirayuki stand up from behind the utility island, near the prep sinks. She slid the sucker from her mouth, humor alight in her eyes. "Long enough to know the kitchen staff considers me royalty," she joked.

"I was just showing… He's…I'm…" Chef Sean almost stumbled on his own two feet as he made for the door.

Tsurara stepped forward, hands on hips. Her presence and poise made the uniform white dress shirt, crosstie and black skort seem like evening formal wear for a pageant. "Do not concern yourself. I will show Mr. Zagorski back to his cabin." She pointed at the door.

Chef Sean sighed, averting his eyes and quietly thanked her. He saluted Tomek followed by finger pointing as he mouthed: 'that's her'. He all but fled the kitchen. Tomek privately agreed, Tsurara was a '10'.

Tsurara watched Chef go through the door to the staff rooms. Pivoting slowly, she sprung, crashing into Tomek. He caught her in his arms as she wrapped hers around his neck. "Are you cooking? I would hate to miss that!"

"Nothing tonight," he assured her cautiously.

"You owe me from New York, or have you forgotten?" Tsurara pinched both his ear lobes giving his head a shake with the heels of her hands. Her referencing the previous mission of theirs brought a wry smile to Tomek's face.

"That was for a 'Cynthia' if I recall. You're 'Sue' now?" Tomek asked her.

"Closer to Tsurara. Helps me remember to answer when I'm spoken to."

He looked at the epaulettes on her shoulders, "Captain Sue?"

Tsurara smiled sweetly, "It's my uniform. You like it?"

Tomek twisted his face in mock consternation. "Not sure. You've got the legs for it. I do like that black hair though, especially up like that."

Tsurara primped her hanging topknot, before putting her arm back around Tomek. "It is my human form. And you are 'Tomek' now? Is that your human form?"

"Oh! I see how it is! It is my actual name, y'know. Chicagoland area. Polish ancestry."

"I can live with it." Tsurara leaned up, brushing her smooth, cold cheek against his stubbly jaw. "Not sure about the beard though." She blew on his ear, immediately frosting half of it over.

"Shit! Tsurara!" He jumped spasmodically, squeezing her. Recovering, but wildly irritated, he held her out at arm's length from himself. Hands on her waist, Tomek spun her fully off her heels towards the stove. The burners were still warm from Chef displaying the kitchen layout for him.

The radiant heat prompted Tsurara to exclaim a Yuki-Onna oath and hop away from the stove. She giggled, covering her mouth. "Why Mr. Zagorski!" she exclaimed, fanning herself with her hand. "Is it getting hot in here?"

"Will you two cut it out? It's New York all over again!" Said Gin from the stairs door. He stepped in the kitchen and closed it behind him.

Tomek smiled at Gin's impatience. As a werewolf, he was basically immune to Tsurara's attentions. Tomek, being human, male and possessing martial prowess, was natural prey for a Yuki-Onna. Away from the mountain heights of Japan and well beyond her child birthing years, Tsurara's monster instincts turned to very forward flirting instead.

"No," Tsurara said, folding her arms. "I think our friend Mr. Zagorski prefers younger women now. He is making breakfast for our favorite succubus in the morning," she teased. Tomek frowned at her, massaging the frost crystals from his reddened right ear.

"What? Again?" Gin asked. He moved purposefully to one of the standing freezer units. "I thought you did that already."

"She looked like hell and was puking up her guts," Tomek explained, calmly. "You know me, I wasn't going to send her back half starved. But tonight, she asked me to do it."

Tsurara and Gin made a face at one another, eyeing Tomek accusingly. "Shut. Up." Gin said.

"She did, did she?" Tsurara's aspect changed from playful to testy. "Does she rate your cooking two to three points above a ten?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. It's not like… What's with the mint?" Tomek said, nodding towards Gin who was closing the freezer. Tsurara wasn't fooled and kept watching him.

"That Sasquatch and the Harpy are still at it, from yesterday. She's got a taste for mojitos." Gin said, heading back towards the door. "They keep it up and we'll have new monstrels on the way. Plus, I needed a break to look for you two. I hate to be the party pooper, but I can't get through to Yokai Academy. Ruby always picks up when I call and she's not."

"Great. I was coming to see you, Gin. I need to get a message to the Headmaster." Tomek said seriously.

"I have information as well," Tsurara said solemnly.

"Well, I can use all the information I can get," Tomek said seriously. "What do you have?"

The three of them came together in the center of the kitchen. Watching each other's backs, they became all business, speaking in low tones easily lost in the hum of the refrigerators and freezers were anyone to eavesdrop.

"We have free passage into Canadian waters," Tsurara began. "When I took the captain his coffee this morning, a high-ranking officer in the Canadian Armed Forces was on the bridge. They stopped talking when I arrived, but, you know me."

"You'd been listening out of sight for a while," Tomek remarked knowingly.

"Hai. However, the way this man talked, I don't think he represents the CAF. He spoke as an independent."

Gin and Tomek looked at one another. "The guy from Nagare Kano's pictures, I'll bet," Gin observed.

"So, he's not acting with the knowledge of the Governor General, but he has enough influence to get a mega-yacht full of monsters past their Naval Command." Tomek shook his head. "Like the Washington Senator was able to get the Maio family's container ship to dock in Seattle and take on cargo."

"The Maio family!" Gin exclaimed. "There's our fairytale connection!" Tsurara and Tomek grunted and nodded their agreement. Gin pressed on, "So listen to this. There's a second yacht full of the human 'investors' and bidders already ahead of us. We're going to rendezvous with it tomorrow sometime at Thormanby Island, just like the paper work said."

"You were right about Fairytale Gin," Tomek admitted soberly. "There's something big going down. Fairytale is moving against someone, I'm just not sure who. But they're definitely gearing up. The Maio family took on a twenty-foot cargo container full of painted eggs from Africa. I think they're from a kind of lightning bird."

"Do you think Yokai Academy is their target? It hasn't been mentioned in conversations I've heard." Tsurara said optimistically. Then, she chided Tomek, "And how is it you do not know what kind of eggs they are?"

"Because I get those kinds of details from Yokai Academy, _before_ I do a job! I'm a Sanction, 'Captain Sue'. I don't act without exhaustive information. Normally." Tomek's irritation with his current situation bled through more than he meant it to. Whereas Tsurara's lifelong ambition was to be a spy and Gin was relaxed in whatever capacity he found himself in, Tomek knew first hand a human surrounded by monsters, without information about those creatures, was walking a tightrope with no net.

Gin grew agitated at the aggression radiating from Tomek. "And I can't get a hold of the Academy. Something's not right."

"We can try the Church," Tomek said after a moment of silence.

"They maintain a staff of acolytes for the Headmaster, but they won't have access to the magical comm system." Gin observed.

Tsurara tapped her lips, thinking. "The Academy has phones now, correct? I can use the radio on the bridge to call my repeater in the mountains and get a signal through the barrier that way.

"Hiyamizu Church," Gin blurted out. "Get in touch with them and forget the barrier. They'll know how to get a message to Tsukune. And maybe they can tell us about what's going on there!"

It occurred to Tomek that Kurumu sensing Tsukune's monster presence on board earlier in the evening may have something to do with what was happening at Yokai. He kept that to himself for the time being.

Tsurara replaced her sucker, thinking. "What do I tell them? We only have bits and pieces."

"Tell them that there are elements in the American and Canadian governments helping this whole process along. Tell them about MacStephens and his tech firm's connection with an African branch of Fairytale." Tomek said, willing her to remember. He knew he had nothing to worry about, Tsurara was born for this kind of venture.

"And the eggs?" Gin asked.

"Tsukune should know about that," Tsurara affirmed.

"It takes a container vessel that size at least two and a half weeks to a month to cross the Pacific, depending." Tomek remarked.

"Still, if the head of the Maio family was here to get them on behalf of Fairytale, they're important!" Gin said seriously.

"Fine," Tomek said, not really believing they were an immediate factor, but deferring to Gin's instincts. "There's one more thing you two need to know. And it's major."

Tsurara saw the emotion behind Tomek's eyes and glanced worriedly at Gin, "What is it, Tom?"

"There's an artifact in play, very dangerous to monsters. Xia-Long Maio delivered it to MacStephens in payment for the eggs. 'Doom's Torch'."

"Saint Columba... Renders all of a monster's powers useless. Essentially turns them into humans. Less than that, actually." Gin explained to Tsurara who appeared appropriately amazed. "That was Nothembi's…"

Tomek shook his head, cutting him off quickly, "Xia-Long all but told me she was dead."

Gin placed a strong hand on Tomek's shoulder. The human quashed a sigh and composed himself swiftly. "I'm sorry, man. She was a good friend. She was a warrior, Tomek. You know she made whoever came for it pay to get it."

"I know."

"Guys, I really have to go. Now." Gin broke their tight grouping and headed swiftly to the stairs. "Don't take any unnecessary chances, 'Sue'." He said with a toothy grin. "But be quick! We only have a few hours before we reach the island!" With that, Gin disappeared up that stairs.

Tsurara watched him go, rotating back around and placing a hand on Tomek's shoulder. "No wonder you are in no mood to fool around. Gin has told me about the job you and he pulled in Tanga. I am sorry you have lost such a close friend, Tomek."

"Thank you Tsurara." He grabbed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "One more thing," he said, drawing her closer.

"Anything," she offered.

"I need to do a little shopping in your gun bag."

Tsurara eyes narrowed. Her smile was that of a predator. "Sounds like fun," she purred, genuinely excited.

* * *

Standing patiently behind Moka, in front of the elementary classroom, the low desks made Tsukune dizzy. He cast his eyes out over the Yokai elementary and middle school instructors, stealing glances at Moka as he did. As ever, the other monsters were enamored of Moka's intelligent delivery, her cheerful aspect and her uncanny beauty. In a skin-tight black pencil skirt, a longer crop top beneath a grey blazer adorned proud gold buttons, with her voluminous silver rose tinted hair in a half updo, she commanded rapt attention with her appearance alone.

He half listened while she delivered nearly the same warnings he had earlier to the Academy faculty and staff: "Fairytale is about to go to war with itself; beware of any monstrels on campus." While the two elements seemed connected by the slimmest of threads, the school had been attacked once already and casualties sustained. Tsukune couldn't bear the possibility a second attack on the Academy campus on his watch.

"Psst," Yukari Sendo's high pitched voice whispered out in the hall, just loud enough for Tsukune to catch. Casting his eyes out the door, saw her standing there in a long black cloak. She dabbed her big brown eyes with a tissue, telling Tsukune she had been to see Ruby already. He flashed her a quick smile and a subtle hand motion, indicating for her to stay.

"…our students come first," Moka was concluding her address. "We have taken steps to ensure tighter security around campus in a way that will not interfere with your daily routines and their lessons. But all of you are part of the Yokai family. Don't be brave when it comes to your safety! Protect the students, protect yourselves. Get somewhere safe, then get word to the Headmaster or myself and we will deal with any problems. Thank you all." Her red cat eyes swept the room, encompassing the faculty and staff a last time. They all acknowledged her with nods and bows.

Moka turned around from the assembled instructors as the meeting broke up, noticing Tsukune beaming at her. Her wide smile blossomed as she approached him. "You're a natural," he said, stepping forward and taking her hands.

"I wish. But I know how to alleviate my amateur stress," she said in a low voice, eyeing his neck. Gazing at that angle brought Yukari into focus. "Yukari!" she called, beckoning the young witch into the classroom. When the faculty and staff barreled past them out the door, Moka took the time to collect her coat and bag.

Excusing herself past the elementary faculty exiting as she was entering, Yukari rushed Moka and Tsukune, forcefully hugging them both. She stood back, very nearly as tall as Moka now, scrutinizing them thoroughly up and down. "You both look… amazing!"

Tsukune self-consciously adjusted his tie in his Winchester collared grey shirt while Moka smoothed out her skirt and tugged at her blazer. "Yes," Tsukune said, a little embarrassed. "Well, I have to keep up with Moka."

"Tch, idiot." Moka waved away the clumsy compliment, taking Yukari's arm and walking out into the corridor with Tsukune in tow. "You've seen Ruby?"

"And I paid my respects to Haiji." Yukari nodded stoically, determined not to cry anymore over her good friend and fellow witch. "It's hard to see her like that," she admitted. "But, everyone tells me she looks better already."

"She's made a lot of progress, Yukari." Tsukune assured her, sounding relieved. Another question nearly made it out his mouth, but Tsukune second guessed himself and backed off, yielding to Moka. He held the door for the two women as they stepped outside into the nearly forever autumn conditions of the Yokai campus.

"How is life with the Huang family?" Moka asked, steering Yukari towards the administration building.

"Where is Fang Fang?" Tsukune asked, looking around. Despite their awkward, tumultuous beginnings, the two men had become good friends over the years following the defeat of Alucard. Fang Fang was increasingly immersed in his family business and Tsukune had taken control of Yokai Academy, giving them a commonality of experience, yet limiting their time together.

Yukari giggled at their rapid-fire questions. "They have been very kind to me and have been more than generous in supplying Fang Fang and I with what we need in our work. Which reminds me, Fang Fang is checking out the ports of Yokohama. We found a couple of things in Hong Kong that make us believe the Maio family may have moved all those monsters out of China!"

Moka and Tsukune exchanged a concerned glance. They escorted Yukari to the door of the admin building, but she gasped catching sight of the damage outside Tsukune's office. Breaking from them, Yukari moved towards the front of the building, gaping at the whole in the wall even as Yokai maintenance staff were repairing it.

"That's… some hole." Yukari said almost appreciatively. "Do we know who did this?"

"Yes and no," Tsukune said, somewhat aggravated. "When she was wounded, Ruby laid a trap for the witch who did this."

"And Tsukune sprung it," Moka said, admiring Tsukune. Not so many years ago, Tsukune's ambitious antics would have gotten him beaten into the dust or mortally wounded. Now, while Moka still worried about him, she knew Tsukune had become a force to be reckoned with.

"Witch!" exclaimed Yukari, alarmed.

Nearby first year students stopped, marveling at the three of them. Two of the girls giggled covering their mouths while their male friend ushered them along, all bowing to the headmaster. "Why don't we step inside, Yukari." Tsukune gently urged out the side of his mouth as he waved back at the first years.

"Yukari, would you excuse us," Moka stepped into Tsukune, giving him a push away from the young witch.

Yukari watched them, her smile born in nostalgia. Unlike the rest of his satellite girlfriends she had never suffered jealousy over Moka's time alone with Tsukune. In fact, it had always excited her to see them affectionate towards one another. Older now, and in a relationship of her own, she found she still experienced that same girlhood thrill of Tsukune and Moka being intimate. Truth be told, she'd never seen them kiss quite as passionately as they were currently. Even Yukari blushed.

Wide eyed, Yukari marveled to see Tsukune's sharp fangs as he playfully went for Moka's neck. In the end, it was Moka that drank from him. She gave her entry punctures a chill inducing lick, settled back and adjusted his bloodstain free, bright white collar. They both turned their head at Yukari. She smiled, waved nervously and turned politely away.

"Do you want Koko to stay here?" Moka asked, playing with Tsukune's tie. Yukari overheard this and silently hoped she'd get to see her old friend Koko.

"You think my mother can't handle the both of you?"

"As beautiful as we are? Remember the last time she had your entire harem in the house?" Moka teased.

"True. You know, now that Koko has gotten older, sometimes I think I may have gone for the wrong Shuzen sister," Tsukune said, thoughtfully.

"You had better stop!" Moka warned him, punching his arm.

Tsukune tried to hide his reaction behind a fake smile. Moka often forgot her own strength when they tangled. "I have already sent Koko to the tunnel. She's waiting at the limo. Say 'Hello' to mother and Kyoko for me. Don't let dad get on your nerves."

"Oh, I think Koji knows his place. Especially after he and your mother visited our castle! He'll do anything for me, like his son." Moka leaned up and they kissed goodbye, lingering with their eye contact long enough for Tsukune to whisper a breathy: "Moka," and her to affectionately reply: "Tsukune," before Moka walked away.

She turned once, Tsukune was watching. Yukari stepped next to Tsukune. "Are you ready?"

Tsukune held up his hand to stay Yukari. "Not yet. She'll look again." Even as he said it, Moka did it, laughing and shaking her head before turning the bend. He could still perceive her silvery hair through the tree trunks and watched her go the entire while.

"Jeez, you two…" Yukari said.

Tsukune's trancelike behavior wore off the further Moka was from him. His face melted into seriousness. Suddenly, Tsukune the starry-eyed lover was a boss, being very much in charge. "We need to talk."

As the two of them walked, school bells rang causing lingering students to run for class. Passing near an open window, the murmur of voices from a locker room and the scent of the cafeteria gearing up for lunch triggered instant nostalgia. Yukari smiled, remembering. Tsukune remained unabashedly serious, plotting. "What did you and Fang Fang learn about the Maio family?" He held the door for her as they entered the admin building.

Yukari took a breath, readying her thoughts. With a mind like a steel trap and her accelerated intellect, it was hard for her not to lecture herself into tangents sometimes. "It wasn't easy, but we traced the whole cadre of monsters to the Port of Hong Kong. We found out Xia-Long Maio has a… relationship with a local human government official from when Fairytale was a more focused threat. He is able to operate a container cargo vessel out of the harbor there with almost no local government interference."

"Xia-Long," Tsukune said evenly, committing the name to memory. "I thought after the so-called "Masked King" was unmasked as Alucard's clone and then disintegrated, Xia-Long reconciled with Fang Fang and the Huang family.'

"It was all for show. At least I think so." Yukari said as if tasting something bad. She removed her long cloak as Tsukune admitted her into his office. He took it from her and hung it on wall hook. She passed a studious eye over everything inside as she continued, "At least, that is the way Xia-Long has treated the situation. He consistently refused any of Fang Fang's social invites and business propositions."

"Speaking of business," Tsukune interrupted. He walked past her to his massive desk, sitting on the edge and bringing himself eye to eye with Yukari. "What has the Maio family been doing that they need international access to ports."

"Well, Tsukune, right now I would say trafficking in monsters." Yukari said seriously.

A lump sank in the pit of his stomach as Tsukune thought immediately of Kurumu. "Trafficking?" he asked, not entirely grasping the gravity of the word.

Yukari nodded, "How else would he have been ready to move so many monsters out of China? It turns out the Port of Yokohama, here in Japan, also accommodates Xia-Long's ship!"

"Yukari, doesn't it take a month to cross the…" Tsukune stood up from the desk, glaring at her. "What did you say?"

The witch suddenly felt self-conscious under Tsukune's stare. She reached for her cloak which was no longer there, instead worried over smoothing out the floral mini dress she wore and ending up, arms folded in a double arm grip. She had worn it too show off, but now just wanted to disappear from Tsukune's sudden anger. "We found out Xia-Long's ship has also been using the Port of Yokohama regularly." She said quietly.

Furious, Tsukune whipped around, stalking to the remnants of the lightning hole in the wall. He gestured where a group of wall shelving no longer existed. "You said it before, but it didn't sink in! I just entertained human government officials yesterday. One of them was from Yokohama. He gifted the Academy with what he called a 'dormant monster egg.' from Africa."

"You think Xia-Long…"

Tsukune rounded on her, lifting a smashed egg shell and shaking it as he spoke. "I confronted the witch who carried out the lightning attack. He was from Africa as well. He is the one that told me of his ambitions to take over Fairytale. Clearly the Maio family has chosen sides in their civil war!"

"What is that you have there, Tsukune?" Yukari uncrossed her arms and reached out for the fragment.

Tsukune kept her from touching it, setting it down on his desk next to similar fragments. He pointed at the far pieces. "Moka and Mizore recovered those from a safe house Nagare Kano used."

"Recently?"

"While he was alive yes. It would seem he angered this African witch as well. These here are from the egg gifted to the Academy."

"African witch?"

"He said his name was MnQobi. He claimed to be in charge of the South African branch of Fairytale," Tsukune said evenly, remembering the conversation with dread.

"And we thought they were local to Asia..." Yukari bent over examining them. "Some kind of lightning bird monster. I am not familiar enough with African lore to determine which kind. The same painter put the icons on them both, however. I can tell that," Yukari admitted softly as she studied them. "They acted as a kind of lightning rod, didn't they?" she asked.

Tsukune nodded, "And the witch admitted he used the egg to guide the lightning. And there's more. Haiji Miyamoto was back on campus. Because Koko showed up here at the same time, I assumed he was trying to reconcile with her. But he homed in on this egg. He asked me about it and about the number of African monsters we had at the academy, just before the trap was sprung."

Yukari could see then Tsukune's anger was at no one but his own perceived failure. A trait he held onto from his teenage years at the Academy, always holding himself responsible even when situations were entirely independent of his influence. "You think the egg somehow brought Haiji back to campus?"

"I think, as a crow-Tengu, Haiji was aware of something going on connected to this and came to warn us." Tsukune gestured to the blackened egg shells. "I think seeing this in the office confirmed something for him."

"But he died before telling you what he knew. It could be true…"

Tsukune brooded a moment. When the moment grew longer, Yukari stepped forward. He glanced up at her. "I can do amazing things now Yukari. I have power, but…"

His look of genuine, helpless confusion moved her. Yukari laid a hand on Tsukune's arm. "But?"

"It's not enough. Magically, physically, with my vampire powers… I know how to destroy, but I don't know how to heal. I should be able to protect my friends."

"You can't anticipate everything Tsukune. No one can."

"Headmaster Mikogami did."

"You don't believe that Tsukune, you're just being hard on yours…"

The door burst open and Lillith flew in. A black cassocked acolyte was hot on her trail. He stopped and bowed, waiting to be acknowledge. "Headmaster," the fairy called, flying in a wide arc to hover before Tsukune's face. "We have new information from your agents working in the United States."

"Why didn't they use the magical comm system?" Yukari asked, curious.

Tsukune threw his hand behind his head, grimacing, "Yeah, I was coming to that, Yukari. I may have fried it with a magical discharge." He motioned for the acolyte to approach and a moment later had a communique in his hand. All the color drained from his face and his hands trembled.

Yukari rushed the desk. Her and Litllith asked the exact same question, "What is it?"

"Didn't you tell me Fang Fang was checking out Xia-Long's ship at Yokohama port?"

"Yes," Yukari admitted, confused.

"This report places 'The Tiger's Decoy' in Seattle, Washington not even 12 hours ago!" As Yukari digested that information, Tsukune kept reading. "There's an entire shipment of those eggs that Xia-Long was given in exchange for a Church artifact. 'Doom's Torch'."

"What?" The acolyte blurted out loudly, causing Lillith, Yukari and Tsukune to glare at him.

"You know what it is?" Tsukune demanded.

"Indeed Headmaster! B-but… your Tanzanian Sanction is the only one authorized to use…"

Tsukune held up the paper, partially crushing it. "This says she is dead! And the shrine in South Africa is destroyed."

Yukari fretted, "Is this intelligence reliable?" she asked skeptically.

"It's from Tsurara Shirayuki, directly."

"You've heard from my mother?" All eyes turned to the still open door. Mizore was well inside of it, standing up from where she had been crouching by the rail.

"She sent this," Tsukune held up the communique. He didn't mention that if Tsurara had to resort to normal human methods of getting a message through, her situation may be deteriorating. He also fumed over the part about the U.S. Senator's aid and the Canadian Armed Forces officer. Coupled with the Japanese and Chinese officials protecting Maio's ship, he wondered how deep Fairytale's connections ran. "Yukari, I need your help to get Yokai's communications back in working order. Immediately."

"Of course, Tsukune," Yukari said with a dutiful determination.

Drawing himself up to his full height, Tsukune walked back around the desk. "Mizore, go with Yukari to the Barrier room and give her whatever help she needs. Lillith, I need you to research all school records on…" he read from the paper a moment. "…Impundulus. Grab the new history instructor to help if necessary. I need that information as soon as possible! I have a Sanction out there confronting these monsters blind!"

Lillith flew swiftly from the room. Yukari was already on the stairs, embracing Mizore. Releasing the slim witch, the snow woman looked pastYukari at Tsukune. "What will you do, Tsukune?"

"I'm going to the docks in Yokohama. If this container ship crossed the Pacific that quickly, if all these rumors about the Maio family choosing sides with Fairytale going to war with itself are true, Fang Fang is going to need help!" Tsukune loosened his tie, walking towards them.

"But who…" Mizore started to ask.

Tsukune walked right up to her, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Mizore, you are in charge until Moka or I return." He turned to the acolyte who was watching him wide eyed. "Understand?"

The acolyte bowed to him and Mizore, "I understand. I will spread the word the Yuki-Onna is in charge until you return sir."

Mizore blushed. Yukari was similarly flushed but for a very different reason. "You can get to Fang Fang quickly?"

"I'm the headmaster of Yokai Academy. I have resources, Yukari."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 _"The feeling is not the achievement. The ambition is not the achievement. The desire is not the training… people who start and end with their feelings aren't going anywhere productive." – Stephen Molyneux_

* * *

"There she is. The Tiger's Decoy. Already a kilometer or more out to sea," the bus driver stated flatly. He handed Tsukune the pair of binoculars he lowered from his glowing eyes. Inscrutable, he leaned back in the golf cart driver's seat and puffed away at his cigar stub.

"I was told it just docked…" Tsukune murmured, confused. Putting the glasses to his eyes brought the enormous container ship into focus, heading out to sea. From where he sat atop the back of the passenger seat on the bus driver's golf cart he could just make out the name of the vessel. "How is this possible?" Tsukune handed the binoculars back to the bus driver.

"Heh heh heh. Fang Fang may have some answers," the bus driver speculated.

Tsukune's fist trembled, "But where is he!" Gnawing panic gripped his guts and two thoughts chilled his soul. His assurance to Yukari he would help Fang Fang and the witch doctor MnQobi's wild threats, declaring fairytale would take all his friends from him. The threats he hadn't taken seriously!

"I should take to the air," Tsukune said, his eyes taking in the enormity of the Yokohama shipyard.

"It might cut down the search time," the bus driver conceded.

Embarrassed, Tsukune's mouth became a straight line as his jaw clenched. "I can't seem to get the hang of using wings though. Imagine that."

"Heh heh heh," exhaling a column of bluish smoke, the bus driver crossed one leg over the other, regarding Tsukune with his hooded, incandescent eyes. "Not too hard to imagine, young man. You still have a human brain. Everything you've been through hasn't changed that."

"No?" Tsukune snapped, skeptical.

"Nope. You may be able to grow wings with your 'create' power, but, using them? Not just for gliding in combat mind you, but actual flight? Well…" the bus driver took a pull, exhaled smoke and chuckled. "That might not be the best course of action. Not without more practice."

"Forcing myself to use wings is going to hurt me?" Tsukune asked, frustration tainting his tone disrespectful. He immediately felt bad letting negativity color his attitude. Over the years, the bus driver had been very patient with him taking charge of Yokai Academy. He had even arranged for Issa Shuzen to instruct and protect him, a relationship he valued enormously. As the years passed, Tsukune had become supremely confident in his abilities, sure of his trajectory in life and relationships. For the first time, he feared the very real possibility he had grown complacent and overconfident.

He calmed himself before speaking again. "I don't think… Did you hear that?"

"You snapping at me? I heard it very clearly." the bus driver started, patiently. "You need to control…"

"No! Nuari, please listen." Tsukune held a hand up to his own ear, willing his elder to hear what he did. Finally, the squeaking rose above the din of forever churning commerce and human activity. Plaintive, inquisitive, the squeaks and high pitched groans were definitely not made by any of the surrounding machines, ships or cranes. They were animal in origin.

Tsukune focused, extending his vampire and magical powers until he perceived the leftover, etheric residue of a summoning spell. Not far away, in an empty container ship terminal, tendrils of magic floated downward like loosed spider webs, dissipating from Tsukune's enhanced vision. "Take us there!" he pointed melodramatically, falling back down into his seat.

"I'm on it!" the bus driver hit the pedal and the golf cart rocketed forward.

They raced by dock workers and sailors, and forklifts and containers, but the bus driver's path wove through as if none of it existed. Impatient, Tsukune stood up, trying to see past the edge of the paved terminal. He could make out tugboats below, their crews on deck, pointing at something, amazed. Following their gestures, Tsukune laid eyes on an oversized panda bobbing in the water, munching bamboo, without a care in the world.

"A Panda? Please, please no…" Blinking, he made out Fang Fang clinging to the Panda's back a second later. His blood stained some of the Panda's white fur. Tsukune removed his tie and threw off his suit coat which the bus driver caught, easily. Running at the edge, Tsukune hurdled, then took off high, diving straight for Fang Fang. Head down, Tsukune's entry into the water was flawless.

Moments later, with a plume of spray exploding around them, soaking the tugboat crews nearby, Tsukune burst from the water with Fang Fang in his arms. The crews of the tug boats howled appreciatively, or stared open mouthed at Tsukune alighting on the pavement of the terminal above them. More than a few checked their phones to make sure they had captured the scene.

As Tsukune touched down, emergency vehicles screeched to a halt, forming a semi-circle around them. Tsukune didn't notice, cradling his friend and calling his name over and over. Ponderously, Fang Fang's eyes cracked open. When he realized Tsukune supported him, his face relaxed and he smiled, drifting into unconsciousness.

"What do I do? Nuari! What can I do for him!" Tsukune was frantic. Rapidly, all the things he couldn't do tallied up in his mind, smothering all the remarkable things he could do, none of which seemed to matter at that moment.

Keeping a careful eye on the approaching dock security and medics, the bus driver stepped over to Tsukune and Fang Fang. "He's been shot. A few times. Apply pressure there," he pointed, puffing away at his cigar as it burnt down to a stub. "Do you want the humans to treat him?"

Tsukune's tear streaked face took on a savage aspect, "I should be able to do something for him!" he said, furiously.

The bus driver was not impressed with Tsukune's sincerity. "That is not relevant, young man. You are not a healer. Do you want the humans to treat him? They know bullet wounds."

Everyone, except the bus driver stopped. A hideous, anxiety laced horror crept into the back of everyone's mind! Dock workers stopped and sailors looked around in terror for the source of this utter dread. It raised the hairs on the backs of their necks, sent chills down their spines and ignited primal fear in everyone who sensed it. For the briefest instant, the young Chinese Yasha Fang Fang appeared to be in the arms of a twisted, black beast of indescribable destructive power.

Quick as an unannounced breeze, the sensation was gone as Tsukune's temper passed. A figment. A collective nightmare many would later chalk up to stress or a hallucination. The humans finished crossing the distance from their emergency vehicles to Tsukune, Fang Fang and the bus driver.

He addressed the closest paramedics. "Do what you can for him, here!" He looked up, "I need to get him back to Yokai academy!" Tsukune said urgently to the bus driver.

Wary, but eager to do their work. The paramedics set down their gear and swarmed around Tsukune and Fang Fang as the bus driver managed the rest of the crowd.

* * *

Kurumu traced her finger around the plate and ran it over her tongue, relishing the last drops of cinnamon syrup. The plate was probably cleaner now that she was finished, than when it had come from the dishwasher. Tomek may have been annoying, but that human knew how to stroke a Succubus' ego and her personal sweet tooth, Kurumu mused. She had never even heard of the items he crafted for her, but she imagined, somewhat flattered, he couldn't have slept much having prepared them. Tomek regaled her with cream cheese stuffed French toast, roasted pears with honeyed cinnamon and Scotch Eggs. She inhaled the lingering scents in the empty room, committing them for remembrance.

For fun, Kurumu had pretended not to be able to use a knife and fork correctly. Getting a lesson in that from Tomek made a humorously awkward start to the morning. Especially since he was so distracted. He wolfed down a small portion he had set aside, not even tasting anything, which, to Kurumu, seemed to be a shame. Yesterday morning the human had been focused, open with her and if she thought about it, outright warm. While unexpected, he had proven a welcome change from the oily creepiness of Nagare Kano.

Even after she threw hot tea in his eyes and hit him in the hotel lobby, kicked him in the throat and threatened to claw him in the limo, he had agreed to work with her in a way that was outside the parameters of his job. Even after she'd stolen alcohol from the bus driver's limo, he trusted her to help him infiltrate the Maio container ship. Even after she let him drop several stories into the bowels of the cargo ship, Tomek forgave her…

…and even made her breakfast the next day.

All without being charmed.

Kurumu mulled this over as she got dressed. She couldn't help but wonder if her awful behavior is what drove Tomek out of the room. He had excused himself after a stewardess visited their room declaring sweetly that things were slightly behind schedule. They were free to explore the southern portion of the island or attend a small breakfast reception on the upper deck, aft. Tomek encouraged her to mingle with the other monsters and promised he'd be back.

She slipped on a wine colored 'boho' chic romper and focused on tying up her hair, adding her usual accessories. Tomek had only left perhaps ten minutes ago, but it felt much longer than that. Staring at the mirror as it silently, expressionlessly stared back, drove the unnerving stillness deep into Kurumu's head. That primal silence had pursued her ever since Tsukune and Moka announced their engagement. Ever since their intent became clear to have a Romanian Orthodox wedding in Wallachia in honor of Akasha, and yes, Alucard. Ever since they had marked each other as mates. It was the lifeless silence of a broken succubus heart; Kurumu couldn't be around them.

Maybe Tomek was right. She should go and mingle with the other monsters on board the yacht, even if she was destined to be killed by one of them in the ring once this tournament finally got underway.

As she pulled on her calf length, slouchy boots, something made a small noise near the door. Kurumu turned in time to see an envelope shoved under the door. Confused she stared at it. Rushing, she snatched it up as if it would be pulled back through! Unremarkable, the small business envelope was labeled in a blue script that read "TZ" in English characters. Kurumu turned the envelope over, frowning when she saw the lipstick kiss on the back, acting as a seal. For the briefest moment, her succubus heart lurched, jealously.

Annoyed, Kurumu pulled open the cabin door, leaning out into the corridor. "Hey!" she yelled into the empty hallway, scanning left and right. That was peculiar. She was sorely tempted to open the missive, but, she had made enough bad decisions, she thought. She would simply deliver it to Tomek.

Determined, she made her way aft to the upper deck, the smell of food and sounds of a party guiding her. Arriving amidst the tables, chairs and milling crowd of monsters and humans, it was an open-air reiteration of the penthouse club the night before. Monsters and humans alike either watched her warily or beckoned her to come nearer. Kurumu made her way through the crowd, working it like a professional hostess at her own party. Skillfully, she extracted herself from any lengthy conversations and shied away from awkward opening lines, but not before more than a couple drinks found their way into her hand. Many attendees that formed her audience the night before were interested in a repeat performance when they all seemed to have her complete attention.

Kurumu caught sight of Ginei watching her from behind the small bar near the aft most part of the deck. He mouthed something, shook his head, tried subtly waving her over… she couldn't make any sense out of it. Waving at him she smiled, then looked away, the press of bodies separating them. There was only one set of eyes on her she was interested in. Her and a portly man in a black chef's coat and hat had made eye contact shortly after she crested the stairs, before she got distracted. His expression was one of momentary surprise, long enough to let Kurumu recognize that he knew something.

Finally, she made her way to the table where the chef manned two hot plates and a collection of sauté pans, cooking to order. "You were surprised to see me. But I don't know you." Kurumu destroyed her grave approach with an ill-timed hiccup, covering her mouth. Did she already have so much to drink, she wondered?

The Chef blushed, glancing around anxiously. While crowded, the deck was big and allowed them enough separation from the others to talk. "What can I do for you, ma'am?"

"I'm looking for someone, hu…" Kurumu caught herself. In truth, she doubted her being a monster was any kind of secret here, but opted to be discreet. "A man. He's got brown hair and a partial beard. Bright eyes. Good looking… ish. About this tall," she raised her hand above her head. "And muscle-y. Probably wearing a suit." Her eyes fell to the table of hotplates and ingredients before the chef.

"Hungry? I figured you would have already eaten breakfast. Your boyfriend is quite the cook!" Chef Sean declared unabashedly.

Kurumu blushed. 'Boyfriend?' What was that about? "We're not together," she remarked blandly.

"Oh… well I thought… the way he talked about you and how much care he put into his cooking…" Chef Sean frowned a moment, looking away and nervously wiping out one of the Teflon sauté pans as he tried to recover. "So, um, yeah. He left the ship."

"Left?"

"Mm-hm. That way toward the starboard side of the yacht." He pointed with one of his spatulas. "The bays here can't accommodate a yacht as big as this, or the other one, but one of MacStephen's techboys came up with a big retractable gangplank. You can't miss it."

"Did he say where he was going?"

"Your boy… Tomek? Not exactly. He said he needed a minute to himself and a good beach to spend it on."

Kurumu beheld the heavily wooded island off the starboard. "Where…?"

"Head south. You'll find it." Chef Sean said, grinning. Just then a human approached him and they began a quick conversation about breakfast.

Gin watched Kurumu leave the ship, clearly with a purpose. She had deliberately avoided him and now she was leaving. He didn't know where anyone was and wondered just what the hell was going on… Irate, Gin glanced at the clock behind him, desperate for it to move faster so he could go on break. He was stuck.

"He is agitated, I can smell it." said the man watching Gin from the rail on the port side of the deck. He sat on the railing cross legged, demonstrating supreme balance.

His human companion stood next to him, nursing a Bloody Mary in her well-manicured hands. A very attractive Zapotec woman, her brother's aggressive, angry aspect kept other monsters and humans from approaching them. "What does that mean to us, Juan Carlos? He is working for the American tech-man. Leave it be."

"I can smell the wolf in him, Antonia" the seated man, Juan Carlos, commented, venom in his voice. "He works for the humans like a dog, but will not fight in this tournament? That arrogant ass thinks he is too good to soil his paws in the ring." He frowned deeply at his sister who stared back at him not flinching at his amber and green cat eyes

"He makes a mean Bloody Mary," Antonia said brightly, trying to lighten her brother's mood. Ever since the penthouse party, the Japanese werewolf occupied her brother's thoughts obsessively.

In an unnecessary show of his monster blood, Juan Carlos yawned deeply, his tongue enormous, his canines pronounced. Whiskers even sprouted from his cheeks next to his nose. "Hey! What do you think you are doing?" She was terrified her brother would transform right there. There was no telling how the other monsters would react. In an uncontrolled setting like this, it could lead to a brawl. Worse, it might compel MachStephen's witch doctor friend MnQobi to act against them! She glanced and saw the two of them mingling in the thick of the human investors. As ever, MnQobi's lean, dark consort seemed to be staring at them with her cold eyes.

Juan Carlos crossed his arms in a huff, silently dropping to the deck and leaning up against the railing. His eyes fixed on Ginei, bartending. "He insults me. His being here. His job. His scent. All of it. There will be a reckoning."

Antonia shook her head. 'Cats', she thought.

* * *

The rock skipped off the surface of the low waves a full five times. Kurumu had never seen anything like it. Sure, she had thrown rocks at water before, in ponds, fountains, at the beach. But this phenomenon of skipping them over the water was new to her. Was it a human thing? She couldn't remember Tsukune ever doing it…

Kurumu had followed the chef's directions, trusting that when he gestured, that actually was south. Regardless, she found Tomek on the beach just as the chef said he would be. The problem was, Kurumu couldn't exactly remember why she was looking for him. Something about lipstick, shoved under a door…

She hadn't meant to drink so much. She hadn't even been upset about Tsukune and Moka. Oddly, the more cocktails she imbibed, the more she did think about her two estranged friends. Maybe that was why she went looking for Tomek. He did weird, interesting stuff that took her mind off the misery of being a heart broken succubus.

Again, Tomek side armed a rock and it skipped two, three and four times across the water's surface. The shore they were on wasn't much of a beach for sunbathing or playing, Kurumu thought. With tumbled down trees stacked haphazardly around the shoreline that led down to tiny dark pebbles instead of sand, there wasn't much else to do except throw rocks, she surmised. Spying an especially big one, she grinned mischievously.

Tomek looked out at the horizon, not seeing the Sunshine Coast island's wooded surroundings. In his mind was a very different coastline on a very different continent. His friend, Nothembi had wanted to make a lot of money and retire early to a beach house, but in Sierra Leonne, not Canada. Being a Sanction for Yokai Academy did pay fairly well, so Nothembi's dream wasn't farfetched economically. But, now that she was dead…

He took a breath and blew out the exhale. Truth be told, he knew he had to get back to the yacht, but grieving this particular friend's untimely passing was taking longer than he thought it would. With a heavy lump in his throat and pained stomach, he wondered how exactly he'd make the Maio family pay for what they did to her. Would the Academy help? Would…

"Pa-LUNK!" a massive rock flew over his head and dropped heavily into the bay before him.

Tomek's hand flashed to the pistol in his shoulder holster. He spun and dropped into a crouch, but stopped short of drawing on… "Kurumu!" Instantly embarrassed and ashamed for nearly drawing on his ward, he slowly removed his hand from his windbreaker.

Kurumu laughed, much like when he first observed her at the Seattle penthouse party, She laughed her drunken party laugh, slapping her naked thigh as she bent over, her other arm out pointing at him. In the half-second before he realized she'd been drinking again, Tomek could only marvel at how beautiful she was this morning. Supple and curvaceous yet elf-thin, her flawless skin glowed in the forest light against her wine-colored clothes. The blush on her cheek bones and those large, walnut shaped wild violet eyes…

Tomek caught himself, trying to bring his adrenaline jacked thoughts under control. He perceived no effort to charm him, so why were his thoughts so totally focused on Kurumu's physicality? Tomek guessed correctly she had more than a few cocktails before coming to find him. He speculated she simply lost control of her succubus charm abilities as she became intoxicated. That had to be what was happening. He glanced about at the deep woods encircling the beach, realizing apprehensively he didn't want to be alone with Kurumu. Having watched her for close to two days, he knew what Kurumu was capable of with her powers. Having watched her for close to two days, he was more concerned she really wasn't employing any of her powers, consciously or involuntarily.

Luckily, Kurumu hadn't noticed him almost draw a weapon on her. He approached her swiftly, climbing the fallen tree trunks and cresting the crumbling earth incline where she stood. He caught the scent of lilies-of-the-valley and knew. "Kurumu, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, silly human!" came the immediate reply. Kurumu straightened up, hiccupped, then nearly burped, covering her mouth. "Oh no… that face you're making. You know."

Tomek gazed at her. Even her voice sounded melodious to him that morning.

"You were gone a really long time," she said putting her hands on her hips. Tomek stared at her, expressionless. Unnerving, but preferable to the silence of the cabin and somehow the milling humans and monsters on the yacht. It was like her heart was working again, thrumming rhythmically at the edge of her hearing. "I went up to the deck like you suggested," she continued, clearly irritated. "Suddenly all my admirers from the other night were buying me drinks…"

Tomek's eyebrows raised, silently demanding a genuine answer.

"I didn't want to be alone," Kurumu said, standing back and crossing her arms in a huff.

"Kurumu, there's a difference between being alone and being lonely," he said quietly. Now they were getting somewhere. It was back to the whole Tsukune-loves-Moka debacle that drove Kurumu into self-imposed exile, but at least it was a point from which Tomek could work. Normally his jobs for Yokai Academy were 90 percent observation. Making the arrest, the knockout or sometimes even the kill and the subsequent clean up divided the rest of the time. This job was 'round-the-clock immersive spy work and it was wearing on him.

Kurumu leaned in, her opulent hair swishing forward carrying a scent reminiscent of pomegranate. "I came here for a reason…" She laid one of her perfectly manicured hands on his shoulder. "…and not because that pudgy chef thinks you're my boyfriend. And not for company," even if you make me laugh, she finished in her mind.

Tomek rubbed his eyes between his thumb and fingers and stepped back from her. In his mind, he said a quiet goodbye to his dead friend, wishing her spirit the shoreline retirement she was denied in life. "Okay, we need to leave here. We can't be…" He lifted his eyes to meet hers, but, catching movement behind the succubus made him gape stupidly.

"What?"

He shook his head at her, staring past her.

"What?" Kurumu asked louder.

Irritated, Tomek grimaced and waved downward, indicating he needed her quiet with his other finger to his lips.

"What!" she yelled.

"Quiet!" Somehow, without her seeing, Tomek took her legs out from under her at the knees, covered her mouth and landed on the ground with her underneath him. He grunted, landing in such a way his arms took most of the impact, sparing her.

Tomek pressed his mouth up to her ear, whispering, yet still managing to sound incredibly angry. "Kurumu, shut your mouth! We've got real trouble!" He raised his head enough to see her eyes, but not expose their position. "Shhh…" Slowly he took his hand from her mouth, pointing up the small incline. "…through those trees."

Rage dwindled from her squinted, violet eyes and as Tomek eased up onto all fours, she rolled over onto her stomach, watching him until she couldn't any longer. When they finally broke eye contact, she retracted her claws and Tomek quietly recognized he'd come very close to being disemboweled. Just as slowly, neither of them making a sound, Tomek settled back down on her right side as they stared up the hill.

At last, Kurumu saw them, "Those are two of those kids… yesterday taking our picture," she whispered.

"And they were on the Tiger's Decoy as well." Tomek whispered back.

Kurumu raised her head some more as the two kids started moving out of their line of sight. "What is that they're carrying?"

"Tsurara's gun bag" Tomek replied darkly. "The snowflake medal on the shoulder strap caught the sun before, or I might not have heard them on the trail." This time he did draw his gun, thumbing the safety off and returning it his holster.

Kurumu's eyes widened, "What are you going to do?"

Tomek took a shuddering breath, controlling his anger. "Tsurara wouldn't give up her gun bag and they couldn't just take it from her, either. If they have it, she's in trouble. If she's in trouble… they're in trouble."

"That bag looks heavy… Those two are monsters," Kurumu raised herself up further, observing closely. She looked back at him, "Aren't they?"

As a predator, Kurumu had naturally better eyesight than Tomek when she focused. He was happy to see her using her assets, finally. "I don't know what kind, but a well-placed bullet is usually a decent equalizer. And Tsurara's given me the good ammo." Somehow, he had concealed parts of an ACR is his jacket. After brief assembly, he quietly pushed a clip home and clicked the safety off.

"Can I have a gun?" Kurumu asked, remembering the snow shooting weapons of the Snow Realm.

The patronizing look Tomek gave her would have earned him a slap any other time. At that moment, Kurumu knew she wasn't exactly at her best and accepted his judgment. "Go back to the yacht. Find Gin and tell him to get here right away."

"I'm staying with…"

Tomek leaned into her aggressively, taking her off guard, again. She gasped when she saw the expression in his eyes. His powerful left hand closed on her small shoulder. "We're not doing this Kurumu. We're not! I need you to fly back to the yacht as fast as you can and get Gin down here! Can you do that?"

Caught between indignant rage and something akin to awe, Kurumu gawked back at him. Tomek was just a human and she could sense the monster energy of those two carrying bag. When Tsukune acted on his bravado as a teenager, he had a cadre of monsters to back him up. If Kurumu left Tomek, what would he have? A couple of guns? "But… what if you..."

Tomek almost laughed at her, feeling a little manic as his adrenaline spiked. "I don't know what kind of monsters those are Kurumu! So, there's a lot of 'what if' to go around! We're done talking!" He released her shoulder, half throwing her away from him. She watched him, confused and furious, hurt and angry, as he talked quietly to himself, checking the compact rifle one more time.

He turned his wild eyes on her making her start. "We're breaking cover, together. You fly Kurumu. Fly as straight and fast as you can and don't look back. Get Gin to come here! When we leave this place, it's going to be together. I am counting on you now. Understand?"

Kurumu suspected these words were a kind of ritual Tomek performed before going into action. The last time he spoke similar words to her, she let him fall into the bowels of the Maio cargo ship. She nodded, resolved. This time would be different!

He turned away from her, bringing his legs underneath him ready to spring. The letter! Kurumu remembered the letter sealed with a kiss at that moment. "Tomek, I ha…"

"Go!" He burst from the brush with deliberate noise, moving quickly away from her, further up an incline. Kurumu, grit her teeth, her leathery black wings unfolding from her back as her tail snaked down from her spine. Tomek's feigned recklessness breaking cover concealed her leap as she shot upwards into the branches and boughs above them. Her wings contracted tightly, opening wide like a bat's as she rocketed toward the yacht.

"You two stop right there!"

The depth and authority of Tomek's voice almost made Kurumu do just that! She gnashed her teeth and flew faster, her tail straight out behind her.

The teen boy and girl stopped, staring doll-like at Tomek, not even breathing. His gamble and hollering at them seemed to have paid off. Neither one gave any indication they noticed Kurumu's retreat. As he got closer to them, he observed their eyes were entirely reflective black, but still gave the impression of being focused on him. Wracking his brain, he made an educated guess they weren't doppelgangers, but was also convinced these were not the original children he and Kurumu confronted in Seattle.

Without knowing what they were, he might as well have been approaching them with water balloons. As it stood, Tsurara had given him 5.56×45mm cartridges with silver tipped bullets for the rifle, hollow points for the pistol. Tsurara like to be prepared. That fact made this situation all the direr. How had they gotten the gun bag away from the snow woman? If she was dead…

Hurry up Gin, he thought.

"You have some things that don't belong to you!" Tomek shouted angrily, maintaining the authoritative tone. His rifle was barrel down, stock up as if he were simply patrolling the woods. No need to threaten them physically if his voice was proving enough to hold their attention. He wondered if they really were children.

"We will start with the easy part! Put the bag down!"

The boy turned to the girl. She cocked her head, bird like. Neither one moved to obey him. As one, their eyes fell back onto Tomek as he stopped next to an old growth lodgepole pine. His heart sank noticing they were smiling at him. Monsters didn't smile and flash their teeth casually like humans did, even in human form. It was a 'tell' for Tomek about their radius of effective attack, and he was inside of it now! A soft "shit", slid from his gritted teeth.

He gently took his finger off the side of the rifle and held the trigger, "These are not questions and I am not patient! Put down the bag and step back!"

The boy released the bag. It landed heavily, making Tomek sick to think what might be inside. The boy and girl weren't just smiling. Their mouths were stretching, past the point of where human lips and cheeks would have allowed. Their front teeth elongated at the same pace, stretching a full 5 inches from their bright pink gums.

"That's new…" Tomek said, still with no idea what he faced.

Energy arced between the two of them, soft and white at first becoming a full bolt of blue white energy. Tomek felt the hair rise on his neck and arms. Maybe being next to the tree wasn't the best plan…

A wolf's howl drowned out the crackling and popping of the arcing electricity between them as it burnt the air. Deep and furious, it echoed among the trees. Relieved, Tomek sighed, reaching into his jacket pocket and tossing the first piece of metal he grabbed, a folded utility knife. It hit the shoulder high arc of electricity between the pair, causing their bolt to discharge right between them. Their inhuman screeching ended when they landed on their backs, smoking in the brush.

Tomek kept the rifle up and ready. Not knowing what they were, he had no clue as to what happened and wasn't going to take chances. His patience was rewarded when two waif thin black women sat up from where the adolescents had fallen. Their black eyes rolled and focused on him, their upper teeth grown out, fanned into beaklike tips. "Yeah, that is new!" he said to himself.

Bringing their long legs to their sides with amazing speed, they sprung from the ground!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 _"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."_ \- Marilyn Monroe

* * *

Tomek squeezed off two rifle shots.

Blurred motion overhead; impossible to track.

Ginei! He threw himself into the melee a half second before the beaked women reached Tomek!

Following Gin's trajectory, Tomek dropped and rolled right, hearing the werewolf impact his assailants.

A single, ground rumbling "thud" and suddenly, monster blood hung in a fine mist, coating nearby leaves and tree bark.

Convinced one of the women wasn't getting back up, Tomek sought the second one; Gin failed to fully engage both bird-women. When his head poked from the underbrush, she rushed him. Panicked, Tomek rolled backward, crashing down slope through rotting branches, rocks and wild grasses.

The African bird-woman landed at the bottom of the hill before him. She spun, yellowish, raptor clawed hands splayed, her pearl white beak gaping below stretched gums, awaiting her prey. Cursing, Tomek's hand flashed out, somewhat arresting his slide. Indiscriminately, he pulled the trigger on full auto, emptying the clip in a moment of staccato roaring. She knew shock, revulsion and rage as silver tipped bullets ripped into her. Poisoned, she reeled backward, her thin, blue tongue curling within her beak-like teeth as she vomited blood.

Instinctively, Tomek glanced left catching the werewolf's amber eyes where the lean creature clung impossibly to a tree trunk like a coiled spring. "Some kind of vampires…" Gin announced through his elongated, canine mouth.

"Not monstrels?" Tomek asked sharply. He painfully extracted himself from the rotted branches and debris.

Gin grunted then launched himself with inhuman swiftness at the bird-woman. If what Gin said were true, then the first woman Tomek assumed wasn't getting back up...

Something on the ground shifted right next to Tomek.

The other had crept within arm's reach without Tomek being aware of her movement. She cawed crow-like, aggressively erupting in a bloodied column from the forest undergrowth. Issuing a throaty hiss, her wild, black eyes focused on Tomek, laying shocked and vulnerable below her.

By the time he pulled the trigger on his empty rifle, Tomek realized he was about to be killed…

…until another blur of motion and the intense impact of two petite creatures striking with shattering solidity.

Two women screamed…

"Kurumu, no!" Tomek scented her as the wind of her passing blew his hair back and disturbed the plants around him. Why had Kurumu engaged? Why hadn't he seen that coming? Flustered, he ejected his clip, digging in his jacket pocket for another.

Gin landed next to him, shoving him with a strong paw, Tomek slipped. "Kurumu! Get her out of here, now!" the werewolf hollered. He kicked backwards, mule-like, with his canine legs, sending the beaked woman sprawling before she finished charging his back.

"Right!" Tomek let the ACR dangle on its shoulder strap and drew his pistol. "The near one has silver in her chest now," he said quickly, indicating the monster Gin had just sent flying.

"I found that out!" Gin growled, wiggling blood from a stinging paw. "I broke the other one's ribs and tore open her shoulder. She's healing fast!" he warned.

Finding purchase, Tomek sprinted towards Kurumu's skirmish. Her black wings flapped furiously, rending claws of both monsters sliced air. Kurumu cried out abruptly, kicking up and away from the fight, trying to gain the sky. The dark bird woman below her wasn't letting her go so easily, leaping after her. The beak-like mouth opened horrifically, wide enough to encompass Kurumu's small waist if she caught the succubus in it!

Tomek ran up a fallen tree, leaping just in time to get between the two combatants. Driving his full weight into Kurumu's significantly smaller body, he was aware of her wings folding around him and her chin painfully bouncing off the center of his back. Tomek became the next natural target of the African monster's charge. Gripping his pistol in both hands, he pulled the trigger repeatedly in the face of the monster bird woman.

Her skull collapsed graphically; blood, bone and brain breaking away under the explosive barrage. The creature limply dropped away from them.

Kurumu's arms wrapped around Tomek's back and he felt her tail brush his feet. She was rolling him into a ball, encompassing him within her wings, so he tucked in his legs. As they crashed along the forest floor, Kurumu's grunting and squeaking set his teeth grinding. He didn't want her to get hurt!

They both jumped up, facing one another with clenched fists and adrenaline flushed faces.

"Why did you do that?" Kurumu demanded.

"What are you doing down here!"

"I had her…"

"She was about to bite you in half!"

"She couldn't even grab my tail!"

"You could have been killed!"

"Me? You're the human here!"

They broke eye contact long enough to visually check each other out for injuries. Tomek saw Kurumu had dropped something nearby and leaned past her, picking it up.

"What are you doing?"

Tomek's face went white seeing the initials "TZ" on the envelope, recognizing writing immediately.

Gin's roars were answered by increasingly more frantic screeches from the exotic bird woman. The lean African monster was desperate and more dangerous than ever. Tomek knew it was time to give the werewolf his distance.

"C'mon!" Tomek snapped at Kurumu, grabbing for her hand. Together, they ran for Tsurara's fallen duffle bag, turning wide to avoid Gin and the woman colliding with a tree trunk. A thin bolt of lightning cracked to life from a clear sky, striking them. The air stank of burnt dog hair and Gin let out a wet sounding roar from between clenched fangs.

Tomek released Kurumu's hand and flung himself at the ground, holstering his pistol. Gripping the end of the bag he tore open the zipper. Kurumu gasped sharply, amazed at the heat issuing from the interior.

"No…Oh my God, no!" Tomek whispered. Reaching into the bag, he gingerly grasped hold of Tsurara's inert form. An enormous black cleave gag strained her relatively small mouth telling Tomek she hadn't been put in there dead. Her hands were tied behind her back and her elbows were also bound, secured to her torso. A blackened tear up the back of Tsurara's white work shirt and bruised, burnt flesh within told him how the monsters had overcome the powerful snow woman. A potent discharge of their power, probably like the one they tried to hit him with.

"Is she dead? Tomek answer me! Is she dead!" Kurumu snapped, dreading the answer.

"She's so warm… Help me. Kurumu, help me get her out!"

As fast as they could, Tomek and Kurumu extracted Tsurara from the duffle bag. Her legs and ankles had been bound as well. They noticed then she had been zipped in the duffle with a small pile of activated hand warmers. The plan had probably been to take her far into the woods and kill her there, away from prying eyes. They sat Tsurara up and began untying her, Kurumu undoing the gag, Tomek cutting her bonds. As soon as her hands were free he checked her pulse.

"She's alive… she's still alive!" Tomek and Kurumu shared a meaningful look of relief. "If she wasn't so warm I would hug her!"

"You…" swollen eyes still closed, Tsurara worked her sore jaw and cracked lips, forcing out a dry whisper. "You can s-still hug me, Tom."

Kurumu covered her mouth, tears silently dropping as Tomek drew the snow woman closer, embracing her. Tsurara's arms flaccidly tried returning the hug. "You got… my letter? You stopped the Impundulus?"

It was Kurumu's turn to go white faced. If Tomek's piercing stare could have killed her, she would have fallen dead among the ferns. His fury gave way to contempt and then to something Kurumu couldn't interpret. He looked away from her, lowering the overheated snow woman away from his body. "You did it Tsurara. Your intel saved us."

The succubus sat back on her feet, feeling guilty Tomek lied for her.

The snow woman's eyes fluttered partially open at the sound of fighting. "It's Gin," Tomek told her quietly. "Between your silver hollow points and Gin's speed we got this."

"Kurumu?" Tsurara whispered.

"She's just fine." Another cold glance. Kurumu didn't even blink, staring wide eyed at him.

Tsurara shook her head and groaned, favoring her lightning burnt shoulder. "I'm compromised, Tom. I can't… I can't go back to the yacht."

"Why would you…" Kurumu began, leaning down to brush matted hair from Tsurara's alarmingly warm forehead.

The sound of her voice, melodious just minutes before, now set Tomek's teeth gnashing. "Kurumu, get up top!" he snapped, pointing skyward. "Look for humans who are picnicking or drinking and let me know where they are."

Cowed by his dangerous tone of voice, Kurumu vaulted skyward. While she saw no value in Tomek's request, she was terrified for her friend's mother and determined not to screw up anymore!

Gin ambled up to them, watching Kurumu's ascent while dragging a crumpled body in each massive paw. The werewolf's fur was torn in places, matted by blood in others, but overall, he seemed all right. He carelessly dropped both Impundulus to the ground. By the time he knelt next to Tomek and Tsurara, he was wholly in his human form, his tuxedo the only obvious casualty of the fight.

"Well that screws our undercover operation," Ginei grumbled. "Tsurara can't go back to the yacht. I left in the middle of the party and just helped you kill those African monsters…" He ran a hand through his long bangs, replacing his head band. "We might as well call it quits."

Tomek quietly agreed, but kept his expression neutral. Kurumu landed next to him gently enough to deposit herself seiza-style on the ground. She kept her eyes averted as her wings folded, disappearing into her romper and spoke quietly. "There is a group of humans that way," she gestured away from the beach and opposite the direction of the yachts. "They have food, but they obviously heard us and have stopped eating."

"What's with you?" Gin asked her tactlessly.

"Gin, I was able to get a message out to the Canadian Sanction," Tomek said, standing. "His name is Gagnon…"

"Noah?" Gin asked, standing as well, helping to support Tsurara. "He's not a fan of werewolves, I hear. Is he going to pick us up…"

"He's going to pick you up. You and Tsurara." Tomek said calmly, handing Tsurara off entirely to Ginei.

Gin took the snow woman in his arms. "You're not going back there. Just the two of you?" Gin said incredulously. "Zag-nut don't be an idiot. We have Kurumu, we know who's behind the tournament. We have names of officials covering for them and the Maio family is our Fairytale connection. We can go!"

Tomek shook his head, scratched at an itch on his forehead while staring at Kurumu where she sat. "I'm a Sanction of Yokai Academy, Gin. I act where and when monsters can't. Right now, this is all happening in the human world. If we let these people get away… we don't know what will happen, where they'll go… Headmaster Aono will be back to square one."

"Tsukune's one sharp dude…" Gin began.

"By all accounts, Headmaster Aono is a good man," Tomek interrupted. "He won't violate the rules and jurisdiction laws and jeopardize monster human relations."

Gin glanced down, indicating the docile Kurumu at their feet. "She doesn't seem to be in any shape to help you out. Are you sure about this?"

"Sunrise here will be ready," Tomek said jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

A tense moment passed before Gin relented. "Fine. We'll take the heat off you two, but we have to do this now. The yachts are scheduled to leave within the hour and you can bet someone is going to miss those two."

"The Impundulus?" Tsurara mumbled. "B-be careful…"

"You've got to get her iced down." Tomek reached down, forcing his hand under Kurumu's shoulder, pulling her to her feet. Though she stood willingly, she was aware the human had the strength to lift her negligible weight with his one arm. "There is a group of people having a picnic…"

"Sh!" Gin's head snapped up, his eyes piercing the woods to see what his ears and nose were telling him.

Tomek respected the werewolf enough to be immediately alarmed. A glance told him Kurumu was as well.

"We may have run out of time! Take her," Gin dumped Tsurara into Tomek's arms.

"Ginei…" Tomek traded the rifle for Tsurura. Gin dropped the weapon.

Gin's whisper carried more than a little hint of wolf's growl as he held his transformation in check. They were definitely being hunted. "We're downwind. Good. I'm already compromised, so you two shouldn't be seen here! Get Tsurara to those humans and get yourselves back to the yacht!"

"Next time, Mad-dog," Tomek said simply.

"Next time," Gin confirmed. He and Tomek shared a parting nod before the human turned away. Arduously carrying Tsurara, he moved off as fast as he could.

"Gin what is it? I can help!" Kurumu said after realizing Tomek wasn't waiting for her.

"Why are you still here?" his voice gravelly, Gin's change was moments away. "Jeez Kurumu will you go!"

"I want to…"

Gin's eyes tracked something Kurumu couldn't see. "If you want to help, see this through with Tomek! Tsurara and I are gonna be blamed for anything that's gone wrong today. You two have to finish the job!"

Kurumu watched the retreating human as Gin looked at her. It bothered him to smell fear on the succubus but he sensed there was no time to assuage her anxiety. "Trust me. He's good at what he does. He'll get you back to Japan and then Tsukune can sort this out."

She bit her lower lip. That wasn't exactly how she saw things ending, but she realized Gin was trying to make her feel better like he always did, no matter how clumsy. "All right Gin. Take care of Mrs Shirayuki. And tell Mizore… tell her I'm sorry for everything."

Gin's eyes narrowed at her. He gave a terse nod and a shake of his head in Tomek's direction. "Go."

Kurumu hugged Gin briefly before running off after Tomek and Tsurara.

"Finally," Gin said, taking a deep breath. So far, he only perceived one pursuer. They were lucky. "I know you're out there!" Gin hollered. He sampled the air with his nose, somewhat surprised at what he scented. It was the Mexican national, the werejaguar. Why would a tournament contestant be after them out here, he wondered?

"So! You want to step off the porch and piss in the tall grass with the big dog, huh kitty?" Bones snapped and popped as they grew beneath muscles and tendons creaking like leather. Gray fur erupted from Gin's pours and his yellow eyes refocused after the transformation. "Come get some!"

* * *

"You took your time," Tomek chided Kurumu as she fell into step next to him. She thought better than to tell the human she had intended to stay with Gin. Seemingly unable to do anything right, she simply kept quiet.

Somehow, Tomek guessed her mind. "Don't worry about Gin. He'll get away. With luck, he does it in such a way that you and I will be above suspicion."

They eased their way onto a beaten footpath, then off it again as they approached the rest area Kurumu had spotted on her treetop flight. Breaking into the clearing, they saw humans milling about, unsure of what to make of the strange sounds assailing them from the woods. As one startled mass, the ten or so tourists looked up, alarmed at the burly man ambling towards them carrying the limp form of a Japanese woman. Next to him, strolled a beautiful, diminutive bombshell. With sky blue hair, huge, purple eyes and outsized bosom for her small frame, she offset the threat presented by the stern-faced man she walked next to.

Tomek spotted what he had desperately hoped he would see. Breaking from Kurumu, he closed on a couple of guys picking up the handles of a long cooler. They froze seeing him approach. "You guys have any beer left?"

"No…no we were just going to empty it…" one of the men said, with a directional gesture that meant nothing to Tomek.

"Perfect! Put it down!" Tomek ordered. They complied.

"What are you doing?" Kurumu asked when he flipped the lid open with his foot. Holding her eye with a mischievous grin, Tomek removed Tsurara from his shoulder and dropped her right into the remaining ice and freezing water of the cooler. Slender as she was, she fit into it perfectly, with her head on one end and legs below the knees remaining outside the plastic cooler on the other. Though water dumped over the sides, she made very little splash.

Tsurara's eyes shot open. No longer in human form brown, but in the crystalline, pupil-less ice blue of her heritage. Focusing on Tomek, her cheeks flushed bright red. "Oh Tom!" Her demure expression melted into pure pleasure and she settled down into the icy water.

"Good idea!" Kurumu said grabbing Tomek's left arm and leaning into him. Tomek leaned down, placing what looked like a white sucker in Tsurara's mouth. She moaned appreciatively.

"What is going on?" the other cooler owner yelled.

Tomek threw his arm around Kurumu and drew her even closer. Her surprised squeak was lost in the flurry of story-telling Tomek launched into. "My girlfriend and I… we're walking along the trails, right? And that woman there, she's a little ahead of us. I think she got separated from her group. Suddenly there's gunfire…"

"We heard that too!" chimed in another hiker moving closer to them.

"What was that, eh?" asked another, pushing into the conversation.

Tomek looked down at Kurumu. She fell into her role immediately and they gazed, confused at one another before addressing their growing audience. "What do you think that was?" Kurumu asked, all doe-eyed and perplexed.

"I don't know. Not for sure anyway." Tomek mused. "An animal attack, maybe? There were a lot of shots."

"A lot of growling too," Kurumu added.

"It sounded automatic, eh?" someone else eavesdropping said.

"I thought I saw lightning!" announced one of the cooler owners.

"This girl started running, right off the path! Hit a bad patch, went right down! She really hurt her back." Tomek pointed at Tsurara who smirked at him until the groups' eyes fell on her. Then she too played her part, looking wounded. The truth was, the ice water was regenerating the snow woman quickly.

The crowd murmured and nodded, accepting Tomek and Kurumu's act in the absence of any other explanation. A dark man stepped forward from the rest. Thin but muscular, he moved with a subtle grace that set him apart from the other hikers and sight seers. "I have some medical training," he said in a heavily accented voice. "I can look after this young lady. Was she alone?"

Though he recognized the voice from previous phone conversations, when their eyes met, Tomek knew he was addressing another Sanction of Yokai Academy. "Yes, I believe she mentioned a gentlemen friend of hers was supposed to meet her."

"Indeed. I will wait for him here." The man assured them, his eyes settling on Kurumu.

"We would really appreciate that, right hon?" Tomek said, giving Kurumu a squeeze. She nodded agreeably.

"Yes, we need to get back to our boat you see," the succubus added, decorously eyeing Tomek and running her hand down his arm to take his hand.

"Hey, if you need to keep her back on ice, we can wait too," one of the cooler owners said, glancing at Tsurara.

A howl broke the through the trees behind them followed by the pained cry of a very large cat. The small dark man and Tomek nodded knowingly. "You'd better go then. Good luck to you my friends."

Tomek's eyes roved through the people around them. He pointed at a couple with a smaller cooler. "You two. Are those olives?"

The couple nodded in unison, their eyes consistently drawn to the forest where the animalistic roaring and howling had set them on edge. When Tomek motioned for the jar, they handed it to him without question. Turning to Kurumu, he held it between them.

"What is that for?" she asked a little loudly.

"Sh! We have monster blood on us," Tomek whispered to her. "If we go back and the other monsters on the yacht smell it, what do you think will happen?"

The color bled from Kurumu's face. Tomek saw she understood. He undid the top of the jar, "Just call me butterfingers," he remarked before shaking the jar between the both them getting their clothes thoroughly splattered.

* * *

Smelling like olives and covered in dirt, Tomek and Kurumu weren't even questioned on returning to the yacht, Storybook Garden. Walking up the long gangplank as casually as they could, amidst other monster and human site seers, they observed sentries, human and monster, manning posts on the yacht, staring north to the island. A young woman stood out from this group, tearfully watching the woods for any sign of her impulsive brother who had run after the bartender when he inexplicably broke from the reception and left the ship. Tomek and Kurumu were extra careful to avoid the Witch Doctor MnQobi and tech magnate Julian McStephens, but were especially wary of the slender, beautiful black woman that never left MnQobi's side. It was suddenly clear to them she was the Impundulu whose hatchlings they helped kill in the forest. Eavesdropping on conversations on their way back to their cabin, they were relieved to learn the two men were on the second yacht.

Once safely in their cabin, Tomek's pretense of affection fell away like a cast-off jacket. He sat with his back to Kurumu on the bed, her tournament combat suit dangling in front of him. On his lap, his briefcase and papers. In his hand, an invitation that had been posted to their door, for a 'night-time on-deck experience they wouldn't forget'. Reading it aloud was the most he said to her. He had busied himself putting his things away while she showered.

Stepping from the shower room in only a towel, Kurumu strode up to the bed, working on drying her long blue hair with another. Tomek hadn't moved at all, now sitting next to his duffle bag. The heavy silence weighed mightily on her conscience, birthing question after question in her mind as she watched him. He must still be angry at her, she surmised, somewhat worried.

It was only the two of them now that the snow woman and Gin were gone and Kurumu wasn't blind. Judging by their affection for one another, Tomek and Tsurara clearly had some kind of relationship. Kurumu had to wonder if it was her fault somehow that her friend's mother had been hurt in the first place…

"You knew that man that was with the other humans, didn't you?" she asked, winning her mounting emotional conundrum by breaking the silence.

Tomek turned his head slightly. "We've spoken in the past. This is the first time we've ever met."

"So, you trust him with Tsurara?" She found herself weirdly envious of Tsurara. Kurumu knew the role play they had engaged in on the island was simply a means to an end. But, she oddly found she wasn't against a repeat performance. The memory of the human's strong arm around her, the way she had wrapped her wings around him…

It must have bled into her voice, because when Tomek finally looked at her, his expression suggested he didn't recognize her at all. "What does that mean?"

"To keep her safe, I mean." Kurumu experienced an odd satisfaction at his confrontational attitude and adjusted her towel over her enormous breasts, coming close to exposing her nether region. She had just showered and her intoxicating scent pervaded every corner of the cabin. Sitting down, her negligible weight sank into the pillow top mattress, leaving her leaning close to Tomek. Seeing and scenting her long damp hair on the vibrant skin of her neck and shoulder made him turn away.

"Ginei is with her too. They'll be fine. I'll miss her skills, though. We're a little blind without her." He turned a second, opened envelope over in his left hand before tossing it across the room to land on a small desk. It was the one addressed "TZ" and sealed with a kiss, that Kurumu had failed to bring to him in time.

"She likes you very much," Kurumu postulated, cautiously and quietly.

"I suppose." Tomek said dismissively. "I mean, I would be natural prey to her, so…" he let that dangle in the air.

Kurumu's intuition was provoked. That was an odd way to describe what she saw between them. She decided on a different approach.

"Tomek, I know I let you down… again. And this time I let my friend's mother down…"

"Kurumu, just stop." Tomek turned his torso some, enough to make eye contact. "I get it. You don't have to apologize. I get the whole heartbroken succubus thing, just like I get the affectionate snow woman thing. It's all right. We all made it through. All of us."

"You mean that…" Kurumu began, her mind racing. She smiled at Tomek, but then turned away just as he did the same, her smile collapsing.

Something was wrong. She knew Tsurara Shirayuki well enough to know the snow woman didn't just express affection for no reason. Mizore's mother was a very controlled, methodical and collected woman. As for herself, the more Kurumu endangered Tomek, the worse she felt about it. Legitimately. These weren't small screw ups. These were life and death mistakes she was making. And every time he let her off with a smile and a platitude.

"You're not forgiving me… you're excusing me," Kurumu murmured just loud enough. Her eyes drifted, her jaw went a little slack. His attitude and words suddenly made sense. At the same time, everything she guessed she knew about Tomek was evaporating like smoke. Kurumu felt alone with someone she fundamentally didn't know.

Tomek didn't speak. His body language suggested caution, his right hand inside his duffle.

She observed his concealed hand, certain what that meant. His back to her, Tomek gave the illusion of being relaxed, but if the last few days had taught her anything about him, he was always ready. With her superior speed, yes, she could lash out and hurt him grievously. Why would he be ready for that? Why would he believe that she would? How could he not know Kurumu would never hurt him on purpose?

"We're all just…" she paused. Short of breath and fidgeting, she tried to control her trembling, clenching her fist over her breasts. "I'm just… a monster to you." Kurumu's voice sounded far away from her own ears. Like she wasn't even speaking. Like she wasn't even alive and her words drifted, merely ghostly impressions haunting the space between them.

Tomek turned left, away from his duffle bag, bringing his left leg onto the bed to look directly at her. The first time he had since they returned to the yacht.

Barely an arm's length apart on the bed, Kurumu met his gaze, "I can see it in your eyes. You're not even angry at me."

Mixed emotions surged like bile to the back of Kurumu's throat in an unsorted lump, choking her momentarily. Letting the tears slide down her cheeks did little to relive its pressure.

"I-I know I've been difficult. I know I've let you down… more than once. But… but when you forgave me, when you encouraged me… I thought you saw me through all of that. Me." She gestured at herself for emphasis, her voice raising. "I thought that inside… inside you saw a person hurting. …you were kind. But you don't. You don't… and you're not."

Tomek turned further on the bed, removing his hand from the bag. Noticing her flinch at his revealed hand, he guessed correctly what Kurumu assumed he had concealed in his duffle. He didn't detect her using any of her power, yet the profound depth of her frown and watery purple eyes cast a crushing shadow across his entire world. Meaning to take a deep breath and say something, his inhale was as shallow as the words that came to his mind. He couldn't tell her she was wrong, but somehow, he didn't want her to be right about him, either.

"Don't you see?" She slid off the bed, facing away from him. "It's why losing Tsukune hurt... It still hurts so bad! Not just because I'm a Succubus. Because Tuskune DID see me, as me! As a person! Not just a monster. And…" Kurumu hand spread and she made to clutch at her neck, instead, covering her mouth as her emotions overwhelmed her in a half smothered, barking cry; tears squirted and her nose started to run. She didn't want to confess any of this! She didn't want to tear open all the emotional scars she'd been running from. She didn't want Tomek's forgiveness for any of it! But for reasons deep inside, Kurumu needed him to hear her and finally see her. Not just as a monster given to emotion, but for the person she was and for how much pain she was in.

"…and he cast me aside!" Kurumu finished, miserably.

Not for the first since they'd met, Tomek was a deer-in-the-headlights before Kurumu's mighty emotional outburst. Wounded to her core, she sobbed openly before him on the other side of the bed. An instinct new to him urged him to embrace her and his body lurched a couple of times, fighting the expressive impotency that kept him in place.

Kurumu sniffled and wiped her nose on her hair towel. Without warning, she yanked her other towel off over her head. Stunned, Tomek quickly twisted away just as she threw it at him. He heard her slam her closet open and rifle through the clothes. She turned her attention to her hair then. Everything Kurumu did was punctuated with violent, angry motions that sounded as if she was breaking everything she touched.

"I'm going on deck. I'm going to get drunk. I'm going to dance! And I'm going to do it with my own kind!" Kurumu barked, tying ribbons in her hair and jamming on jewelry. 'One of them is probably going to kill me in the tournament,' she thought. She might as well have fun on the way out! "I'll try not to fall overboard like a grieving succubus, so don't worry! Enjoy sitting there by yourself, human!"

He heard her open the cabin door, "Of course, you're always by yourself, aren't you?"

"Kurumu…" Tomek finally said. He turned in time to see a blur of motion as she left the room, slamming the door.

* * *

Night had fallen. The yacht Storybook Garden was on course for Vancouver in the Salish Sea. It's sister yacht trailed them, a shining jewel in the darkness to the north. The aft upper deck was animated by live music, the gentle rumble of conversations and the clinking of glasses. Entering the scene in a black tuxedo, Tomek forewent studying the surroundings as he normally would have. It was as he expected. Monsters in their human forms, their managers, human and monsters all mingled and cordially drank together. Some danced on the limited deck space.

Amid all of them, Kurumu stood out to him, like the moon dominates the night sky no matter how many stars are out. Her perfect, peaches and cream skin shown from beneath the black lace of her evening gown that hugged her chalice frame, split high to show off her legs as she moved. Luxuriant, bliss-blue hair cascaded around her cherubic face and he wondered how she had pulled off such an elegant appearance while slamming everything around in their cabin.

This wasn't the drunken party girl throwing herself around the room like the first night they'd met. She was a succubus at the height of her powers and Tomek was appropriately awed, not just at her physical beauty, but at her poise and command of her entire surroundings. He watched her gracefully move from group to group, addressing couples and individuals, negotiating her way on high heels with a wide cocktail glass full of what he recognized as an amaretto sunrise.

They locked eyes, quite by accident. Kurumu's composure faltered, her expertly congenial smile fading into an involuntary gasp. There was something she hadn't noticed in all their contentious time together the past few days. Somehow, Kurumu discerned it now. It wasn't his physical presence or the way the tuxedo refined the cut of his Adonis frame. There was a striking genuineness to his green eyes as they held one another's gaze across the deck. Despite everything, inside this human resided a man of quality, an actual gentleman, and Kurumu could see it. If only he would afford her the same courtesy and see her with such clarity, she thought anxiously.

Tomek experienced acute first-date-nervousness under her brazen, glittering twilight stare.

Recognizing his opening as the song wound down, he set across the deck brisk an confident. Grabbing Kurumu's drink from her and setting it on the first table next to them, he offered his arm. Kurumu watched his actions warily. The musicians began their next song; he opened his elbow to her further, raising his brows. Finally, she accepted his arm, walking away from the railing and out into the makeshift dance area. Tomek put his hand above her hip and she put hers on his shoulder. Hesitant, their other hands intertwined. Monster and human, perfectly synced despite her generous endowment and their height disparity, began moving rhythmically together.

They stared past one another as they wove between other couples on the deck, their dance taking on all the grace of an actual waltz, their smooth motion reminiscent of ice skaters. More than a few whispered to one another about how stunning she was or how handsomely her companion cleaned up. No one questioned Nagare Kano's absence at all.

Kurumu leaned back and gazed expectantly at Tomek. Faltering, he blinked a few times and met her eyes. "Are you going to apologize at least?" she asked.

"Thinking about it," Tomek admitted.

"But in the meantime, you don't mind dancing with a succubus?" she asked wryly. There may be an actual gentleman in there, she mused.

Tomek swallowed, glancing around them. While they were being discussed here and there, they weren't being listened to. "I didn't expect you to say yes."

"You're glad I did," she stated, suddenly having fun with his awkwardness. "I didn't expect a big bad soldier boy like you to Waltz so well," she remarked genuinely before being spun away from him and brought back stylishly.

He exhaled and braved meeting her lavish purple eyes again. It was either courage or stupidity looking directly into the eyes of a succubus, especially that close. Especially one as reputedly powerful as Kurumu. But after their blow up in the cabin and everything else behind and ahead of them, Tomek girded his constitution and decided to live dangerously.

Kurumu was wise to his struggle now that she had a glimpse into the real him.

Tomek finally spoke, "I have something to tell you."

Kurumu recoiled from him, though they kept dancing. "Oh no, you're not… What?"

"I think I should cook for you from now on, as long as we're stuck in this situation." Tomek said.

She panicked and he felt her body tense next to his as they danced. "I-I don't think…we wouldn't work out…" Kurumu stammered.

"Jeez, Sunrise."

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Ask me again sometime, when you're not full of yourself."

They separated and he spun her before drawing her back into a dip. Like his weapon prowess, his dancing seemed to be rehearsed and Kurumu's natural grace enabled her to keep up impeccably. Pressed back together, moving through an emptying deck space, they continued dancing. Neither noticed where the other couples had gone.

"I am not full of myself!" Kurumu announced in a huff.

"And I'm not asking you out!" He leaned down, glad for the heels she wore so he wouldn't be bent over awkwardly. Finding her right ear on the other side of her thick, fragrant blue hair, he whispered. "They're putting contrast materials in the monsters' food and drink."

Kurumu turned towards his ear, her smooth cheek nuzzling his stubbly one as she whispered back, "That sounds pretty sinister… what does that mean?"

Remaining conscious of the music, Tomek moved them in such a way, their closeness didn't seem forced after their waltzing, but a natural consequence of their dance. "I finished reading Tsurara's letter. They keep throwing receptions like this and making sure the monsters on board have plenty to eat and drink, because they're feeding all of you contrast materials."

"I don't know what that means!"

"Iodine, barium-sulphate, gadolinium based compounds. Our hosts aren't taking any chances. Just about anything the monsters have eaten or been drinking has been laced with something." Tomek said seriously, again sending Kurumu into a twirl.

She landed in his arms, "It's those suits they're making us wear, isn't it?" she asked.

Tomek nodded, "They must enable X-ray or some kind of tomography for internal readings besides tracking exterior motion. Everything about you tournament contestants is being scrutinized in detail."

"Why though?" Kurumur wondered.

"Hard to say right now," Tomek dodged. "We don't have enough information. Still, this level of examination is unethical without consent. Running through the paperwork certainly didn't produce any release forms okaying this sort of thing! They're treating monsters like a slave class."

Now she knew why he had been buried in the paperwork after their return. Kurumu tilted her head, "Oh, so now you suddenly care about monsters as individuals?"

His mouth set in a grim line, he looked down at her. "You weren't exactly wrong about me, Kurumu," he conceded finally.

"Well, humans are pretty easy to read," Kurumu remarked coldly.

Tomek nodded, "I deserved that," he admitted.

She screwed up her mouth and nodded, agreeing. "You did."

"I'm sorry, then," he said firmly.

"Was that so hard?"

"Yes." Tomek stated flatly. She frowned up at him. "Not for the reasons you're thinking. Look, you saved my life out there and I…"

Kurumu grinned at him. Normally stoic and controlled, she could see he was on the verge of tripping on his own words. She raised an eyebrow waiting to see where he stumbled to next.

"I hope you'll accept my apology because I don't do it often." This mission was just getting more and more complicated. He couldn't see where it was headed or what his next step should be. Protecting his "assignment" Kurumu was the one solid he had to hold onto, but she didn't make it easy. She evoked emotional and visceral responses in him that were beginning to cloud his judgement, and that scared him most of all. Was it her succubus powers of charm or did he have a bigger problem?

Kurumu abruptly ended their dance as the music stopped. Her body went as taunt as a drawn bowstring. Even through her massive breasts, he felt her heart hammering.

"Are you trembling?" Tomek asked. Trying to draw a breath, he realized she was not only pressed so close to him she was practically inside of his tuxedo jacket, she was squeezing off his air. The small gagging noise Tomek made was lost on the succubus. She continued holding him close. He looked around. Everyone else on deck was staring back.

No. Everyone stared past him.

Was that the other yacht directly behind them?

Confused, Tomek craned his neck around. He and Kurumu stood gaping at the monstrous blackness closing off the starry sky beyond. Tomek cursed himself. For a man that was a slave to making observations, dancing with Kurumu had somehow blinded him to their immediate circumstance! As one, the monsters, their managers, Tomek and Kurumu gawked at the two enormous doors. Closed and clamped shut with a rumbling series of mechanical clanks, they sealed the yacht Storybook Garden and its sister yacht in the bowels of the vast Maio family cargo vessel, The Tiger's Decoy.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

" _For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong._ " – H.L. Mencken

* * *

Ruby's visage smiled coyly from Tsukune's repaired desktop. She modeled the sexy, satiny, kimono style robe sewn by her for her, in the wee hours of the morning. Despite the effort, Ruby suspected she wasn't getting through to her friends. They remained skeptical of her recovery from the lightning strike she suffered the other day. Mizore especially, remained a literal wall of ice, blocking her return. Yukari, busy tinkering and fine tuning the table's magical engineering components, didn't offer her fellow witch much support. "Where is Tsukune?" Ruby finally asked, pouting.

Mizore glanced up from the plush leather desk chair that practically swallowed her small frame. Yukari met her eyes, shaking her head. Mizore nodded subtly. "I don't think you're quite ready Ruby-san. So, you can believe Tsukune will think you're ten times worse."

For a moment, her stoicism failed and Ruby's weariness shone in her eyes. She pulled her robe closed over her chest, realizing Tsukune wasn't there to appreciate her assets. But, Mizore was right. Even if Tsukune was there, his overprotective disposition towards them would stand in the way of leaving her hospital room. "I understand. I just want to get back to work."

"We want you back to work too!" Lilith, the fairy sized artifact spirit, announced enthusiastically. She flew around Ruby's image on the repaired desk before settling down on its smooth surface.

Her pupil-free eyes like reflective chips of blue ice, Mizore watched the small fairy with a snow woman's cool mirth . "Doctor Tsumugi says you are healing at an accelerated rate. We will have you back to work soon." Mizore assured Ruby. "In the meantime, you can help with Fang Fang when he wakes up," Mizore offered, stealing a cautious glance Yukari's way. The young witch's reaction to her partner's injuries had been heart wrenching at first, and then worrisome as Yukari withdrew into her work, fixing the damage Tsukune had magically wrought on his own desk. "We need to know what he found out at the docks," Mizore concluded quietly to Ruby's image.

Ruby smiled, settling back into the hospital bed that was suddenly included in her image. She waved, looking forlorn at them as the image winked out.

Mizore's sucker clicked along her teeth as she maneuvered it from one cheek to the other. She let the silence linger a moment longer as the afterglow of the magical comm unit faded. "You've done really good work Yukari," she said, her bright blue eyes smiling even when her mouth remained a thin line around her sucker.

Yukari lightened up long enough to accept the compliment with a smile and nervous shrug of her shoulders.

"Tsukune was wise to put you in charge," Issa Shuzen said, stepping from the shadows. "Your abilities are clear." He gazed appreciatively at the snow woman. Issa's control and composure was such that his eyes barely lingered on the gentle curve of her pale neck. He was genuinely impressed with her and Tsukune's trust in her capabilities.

Hiding her dread and trepidation behind her cool exterior, Mizore's expression persisted, unreadable. Frosty, she maintained the aspect of one of her ice-dolls. Hiding, manipulating an ice doll from behind the scenes struck her as preferable to being in her current position. Her unease at having the deadliest vampire assassin within arm's reach had her on edge already; the relative coolness of Snow woman's blood probably wasn't much of a deterrent to a hungry vampire. Worse, was what was happening at the heart of the Academy, despite Issa Shuzen's compliments. "Thank you Mr. Shuzen.," Mizore stood and they bowed to one another.

"Where is Tsukune?" the vampire asked then, his appreciative manner gone as he settled into business mode.

"The infirmary,' Yukari snapped, uncharacteristically terse.

Yukari looked apologetic and terrified at the same time, angling away from Issa who stared at her coolly. Mizore, similarly apprehensive, made no outward display of emotion. She was well aware of the value Tsukune placed on his relationship with his eventual father-in-law and knew he would rather die than be disgraced in Issa's eyes.

Fortunately, Issa's own affection for Tsukune surfaced, skewing him in a direction no one expected. He rationalized Tsukune's absence from the proverbial command seat. "Looking after his friends' recoveries. Understandable, if a little excessive. There is finally a positive development."

"We could definitely use good news here," Mizore said, wistfully.

Nodding once, Issa agreed. "Normally I would not impart this to a subordinate. But, by virtue of your abilities and my protegee's trust, I have no qualms about it in this case Ms. Shirayuki."

Mizore stared at him where he stood in the shadows. Not given to long winded conversation, she patiently waited. Tsukune had put her in charge. After his return from the harbors he had not rescinded that order. Mizore was entirely sympathetic with the Headmaster's anguish, but until he took back the authority he imparted to her, she would do whatever was necessary to fulfil her commitment to Tsukune's trust. The silence grew thick, like a tangible barrier around conspirators.

"My agents have brought word, the assassin loosed in Japan from Russia is actually…"

The desk beeped loudly. A call was coming through the electric and magical channels and the tone suggested urgent priority. Mizore and Yukari gasped loudly and Issa withdrew backward again into the office shadows cast by the light of the imagery on the desktop. Yukari leaned forward, checking a few dials and a small screen. "It's from the United States… It's Gin!"

"Let it through," Mizore said in her usual, calm manner. She moved back to the desk chair.

"Mizore," Gin said seriously as he coalesced in the air above the desk. His clothes were shabby indicating he was in a fight and his aspect was weary. "Actually, I'm glad to have caught you. We need to talk about your mother…"

* * *

Raika was not the monster he once was. He tried covering his shame by standing supremely proud, haughtily gazing at them from where he hovered amongst the boiling storm clouds with his arms folded. His voice carried authority but sounded gravely; his lungs and interior had suffered incredible trauma at the hands of Ruby Tojo and her Iron Maiden armor years ago over Minato Morai in Fairy Tale's floating Hanging Garden fortress. "With the exception of one last piece, everything is in readiness," he reported.

Watching his visage ripple in the wild energies summoned by the African Witch MnQobi, Xia-Long Miao privately wondered if he had chosen the right side in the coming conflict. Only recently had the Raiju lightning monster begun to show any real hint of his old powers and even then, it was mostly thanks to the interventions of MnQobi's spells and the damnable human tech magnate Julian MacStephens. The size and scope of what they were about to do was staggered even Xia-Long's acute mind. What they had done so far, sniping at Yokai Academy's lackeys and silencing traitors was nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to the hit they had planned that evening!

Xia-Long slid his fingertips across the brim of his top hat, checked his nails and then blew on his fingertips. It was a small ritual he performed before casting a spell, but this time served only as a kind of pacifier to assuage his doubts. After tonight, their intentions would be clear to the rest of Fairytale and there would be no going back.

Nearby, Routier, ever mindful for any sign of weakness, took her eyes away from MacStephens, where the human quietly lurked behind them on the bridge. She eyed Xia-Long curiously. Not sensing any real fear from the yasha, Routier shifted her attention back to the weakling human MacStephens, whom she desperately wanted to cut. Her desire was peaked all-the-more because she had been expressly forbidden from moving on the young human.

"We are ready on this end," Xia-Long finally said, walking to stand next to the muscular Witch. He felt the aura of power emanating from the man's body and staff. "When the storm has reached optimal strength, we will wait for your strike and transition to Japan."

"At last, we will call those false Fairytale cowards into the open," Raiku rumbled like thunder from the projected, magical image. "And when they seek the enemy that decimated them, Yokai Academy will have its heart torn out and seek vengeance on them."

MacStephens stepped forward, pad in hand with a looped video of Tsukune leaping from the waters in Yokohama harbor with Fang Fang in his arms. "This is the guy, huh? This skinny Japanese kid?"

"Idiot," Xia-Long muttered. He turned, angrily regarding MacStephens with unhidden contempt. "You speak glibly about one of the strongest chimera's in existence. He has the blood of the first ancestor vampire in his veins. He should not be under estimated!"

"And he has the magical ability of an ancient nature I have not seen the likes of in all my years," MnQobi said cautiously. His eyes wandered over the hairline cracks in his vertebrae staff.

"The Crow Tengu is dead," Raiku reminded them. "He died before he could warn the Academy. The boy headmaster only knows that his friends are being picked off by an enemy he can't grasp or attack…"

"Yet!" MacStephens finished gleefully. "You'll give them someone to attack after tonight!"

"You do me honor in adhering and expanding on my lightning tactics," Raiku said. His genuine warmth towards the human MacStephens made Xia-Long nervous. Routier picked up on that as well, deliberately crossing her legs with languid slowness, nestling the case of her chainsaw in her crotch.

"I'll do better than that," MacStephens boasted. "Once we transport or teleport or whatever and this tournament gets underway, my people will start collecting data and we will be able to get you fixed up my friend. Better than you were before!"

Raiku smiled wide, closing his eyes. He would be whole again. The new Fairytale would use human technology and understanding of monsters to take over a huge swath of the world as was their right! "As soon as the last piece is in place I will act and then signal you," Raiku said, bowing his head to them before turning and disappearing into the storm clouds.

The image faded; MnQobi lowered his staff. He started, seeing his protegee standing before him, her black eyes burning into his. Still enraged at the loss of her hatchlings she turned her furious gaze on MacStephens. The human remained outwardly oblivious. "You are quick to sell the lives of monsters MacStephens." MnQobi said levelly, breaking the silence as the afterglow of Raiku's image faded into the gloom of the bridge. He inclined his head to look down his nose at Julian.

MacStephens rolled his eyes before looking down his own nose, subtly mocking the African witch. "What?"

MnQobi narrowed his eyes, glaring accusingly, "You know as well as I, dat Raiku is doomed. Even wit my magic, he will over extend his power and… cease to be livin'"

The look of deliberate, dismissive confusion on MacStephen's face enraged Xia-Long and MnQobi both. "As long as he gets the job done, what difference does it make? Is Fairytale's talent pool that shallow?"

"We are conducting this strike because we lack numbers to act openly!" Xia-Long snapped acridly.

"Exactly. So, what are you worried about? Plus, we flushed out those pathetic spies your boogieman Tsukune Aono sent to screw with us…"

"That crazy Succubus is still on board the Storybook Garden," Xia-Long hollered.

"The sexy little thing with the blue hair?" MacStephens asked. He was aware that MnQobi and Miao stood shoulder to shoulder facing him. To his right, leaning forward with her dress hiked a little too high and her hips gently grinding with the chainsaw's throttle guard held between her legs, the crazy sadist Routier stared at him, unblinking with unbridled hunger. "She's no threat. We took care of her picture happy manager and that crazy snow woman that raided your bridge."

"My Impundulu's hatchlings are dead," MnQobi declared in his baritone. "She is most displeased Mister MacStephens. They were gifted to you after all. The pride of her nest."

"What a pile of shit," MacStephens blurted out. They were taken aback by the human's outright arrogance. Even nearby members of the bridge crew were stunned and stopped to listen. In response to their tension, the armed guards along the balconies also looked down, interested in the conflict. Julian's protectors were dead and gone and he was in a room full of monsters. Was he crazy? "She doesn't even see me. You're the one that's been harvesting her and her kind's eggs for this operation!"

MnQobi eyes shot open and he sputtered impotently. The human's accusation was terrifyingly accurate.

"Plus, how the hell was I supposed to know my staffing agent sent me a goddamned werewolf as a bartender. That had nothing to do with the little big-titted drunk!"

"I told you before that girl is a loose cannon when she is off Aono's leash!" Xia-Long snapped venomously.

MacStephen's temper flared, "Then you should have killed her when you had the chance, China-man! Shit, after she tore up my hair and pants, I wanted her dead! But that window is closed now! She is popular as fuck with the investors! There are bids on her pheromones, her gray matter, her hair and eye pigmentation, her fucking beauty secrets… hell, I've got guys that could buy me three times over offering a fortune to sleep with her! And trust me, these perverts are NOT under her spell! That Succubus is a cash cow! She is our diamond in the rough and she isn't going anywhere!"

Routier's eyes shot open at MacStephen's outburst. Unexpectedly, even without his protectors, he didn't seem so weak anymore. She frowned deeply at the sneering Xia-Long as he stepped up, nose to nose with the arrogant, defenseless human. "Get off my bridge," Xia-Long managed to squeak out of his gritted teeth.

"Call me before we transfer, I'll be in my quarters," MacStephens said. "Save me a window seat."

Turning away from Xia-Long, MacStephens didn't spare MnQobi a glance and stormed off the bridge. For his turn, the witch was watching his enslaved Impundulu with trepidation. MacStephens words about whom she really hated had struck a chord. The bridge crew of the Tiger's Claw either watched, amazed at the human's audacity, or pretended nothing happened at all, busying themselves with their work. Xia-Long Miao glared after the man ignoring the tension around him.

"Let me have him," Routier said, her horns slowly inching from her head. "You said I could!"

"You know the plan," he practically snarled at her. Routier sat back in a huff.

Having taken the elevator off the bridge, Julian MacStephens got off several floors below on decks where Xia-Long's ship had been converted into a luxurious residence. The conversation upstairs on the bridge already fading from his mind, he focused on the business to come. With their magical transference to Japan imminent, he needed to talk with his tech team leaders for final coordination before the actual data collection began at the tournament.

He rubbed his hands unconsciously as he made his way to his guest state room. The possibilities ahead were staggering in their financial and historical implications. His company would be first to bring the benefits, weaponized, medical, magical to humanity. Let the monsters kill themselves with their petty civil war. As long as they surrendered their secrets, he could keep their ridiculous conflict going on for years without the rest of the world being any wiser.

Arriving at his door, MacStephens ignored the plush, luxury accoutrements of the floor. It more resembled a five-star hotel then it did a worn, transpacific cargo ship. He was accustomed to such indulgences. No, it was something else that made him pause and take notice of his surroundings. The simple scent of a perfume he'd recently become acquainted with.

"What the…" He keyed open the door with his thumb print, pushing the polished oak portal open roughly and storming into the carpeted antechamber. Stunned, wrapped in a sheet was a pretty Mexican woman. Her hair and make-up were still intact, but she was clearly ready for nocturnal action.

"What the hell are you doing up here?" he demanded.

Timidly, clearly confused, the woman, Antonia, pointed to the bedroom beyond. "You sent for me."

"Fuck if I did," MacStephens grabbed her arms and put her out of his way. There, in his bed, was him, grinning back at himself!

"Not the best timing, Julian," the doppelganger said, with genuine disappointment.

* * *

 _The room around her appeared charcoal gray, visually echoing the grayness outside. Fog had rolled in between the buildings, padding them in gloom. She leaned against the massive window pane, staring out at the grey landscape. The cool glass tempered the warmth of her forehead. Rain drops hit the frosty glass in light handfuls before pattering the pane in earnest. Shivering, Kurumu drew the blanket tighter around her shoulders, closing it over her bare legs._

 _"Come watch the sunrise with me," Kurumu said in a hushed voice. She blew her long bangs out of her eyes and rolled lazily against the glass she leaned on. She recognized there would be no sunrise to watch. It made her sad finally acknowledging it._

 _Someone spoke quietly behind her; the words unintelligible. In the reflection of the rain streaked glass, a figure emerged from the shadows next to the bed. Her smile disappeared in her confusion. "What are you doing here?" she asked, genuinely surprised._

 _The dark figure didn't reply. He moved to join her at the window, when a flash of lightning outside revealed a second shadow behind him. Red eyes flared… red blood splattered…_

 _Thunder crashed, rattling the window. Kurumu gasped, slapped with the wet redness…_

She woke, sitting straight up with his name on her lips, scattering her blankets.

Panicked, Kurumu gasped a second time as she searched the darkness. Through the window, a single, sickly yellow light from the bowels of the Tiger's Claw barely illuminated their guestroom on the Storybook Garden. Black shadows and unnatural light twisted the space foreign and threatening.

"Kurumu," said a steady voice quietly in the dark. Within one of those shadows, Tomek sat on the floor, his back to the bed, facing the door.

Finally grasping where she was, she exhaled, decompressing from her knees to sit on the bed and face Tomek's back. Still reeling from being half asleep, Kurumu sloppily collected the end of a blanket, bunching it over her chest. "You're awake?" she whispered, blinking into the darkness.

"Are you all right?"

She leaned over to the other side of the bed, rummaging around the headboard area and night stand.

"Don't bother," Tomek said, arresting her search.

"What?"

"The brandy bottle."

"Protecting me from myself, are you?" Kurumu turned towards him, sliding her legs to dangle over the side of the bed next to his right shoulder. She drew a shuddering breath, "Why are they keeping us here, like this?" A frantic tone crept into her voice.

"I have an idea about that. Tsurara suspected it too, but she didn't realize the cargo ship was involved."

Silence fell. Kurumu gently kicked her legs, letting them hit the bed in a muffled rhythm.

"Something else on your mind," Tomek said, acknowledging her nervous behavior.

Kurumu nodded in the dark, allowing the stillness be her answer. Tomek waited patiently, a move she defensively took as contempt from him.

"You killed that monster I was fighting," she finally declared, her low voice heavier than the blackest shadows in the room.

"I did."

Kurumu mutely balked at his admission. No remorse, or anger, or any hint of bravado. It was what it was, a simple acknowledgement. Her thoughts turned back to her escapades at Yokai Academy and all the threats she and her friends had faced. Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on her knees and her head on her fists. "I don't know many humans," Kurumu admitted. "I know about your wars and your crime from school and the news my mom watched…"

She rubbed her temples then tossed her thick hair. "When we were at Yokai Academy there were plenty of times we could have been killed. Tsukune was a magnet for trouble." Kurumu looked up, her smooth features starkly lit in the scant light. Her eyes settled on Tomek where he sat on the floor, facing the cabin door. "He never killed anyone though. Our lives were in jeopardy… monstrels can be pretty intense but…"

"They were children."

"That's true," Kurumu agreed, misunderstanding him. "But they were…"

Tomek drew a deep breath and sighed. The sound was so unlike anything he'd uttered in the last few days Kurumu felt compelled to stop talking. "They took on the aspect of human teenagers because they were children, Kurumu." Tomek drew another deep breath.

Sober, awake and aware, Kurumu immediately attuned to his unspoken anguish with her succubus empathy. She slid off the bed and stood over him, the darkness disguising the flimsiness of her negligée.

Not meeting her eyes, Tomek brushed at his goatee, ran a hand through his hair and sat quietly, wishing she would go back to bed. "I… I can't give back what I've taken from them…"

Kurumu squatted, cocking her head to try and make eye contact. "Looks like I'm not the only one here that hates being a monster." Rolling on the balls of her feet, she pivoted until she bumped into him, easing down next to Tomek, her back to the bed, her left side abutted to his right. She either didn't care they were shoulder to shoulder with their legs touching, or it was a deliberate choice.

"Thanks," Tomek said.

"What's going to happen to us?"

Tomek took a moment to consider, "I think our next stop is the tournament venue. What happens then… That is up to you. Are you ready to fight?"

Kurumu nervously touched her mouth, absently scrutinizing the powerfully built human next to her. "I thought I was. I thought I was ready to…" She trailed off, aware now they both knew what she had had in mind concerning her fate in the coming fights. Drunken confessions blurted out to Nagare Kano had made it to Tomek's ears somehow. The human possessed the tact not to flat out confront her suicidal fantasy, but, despite everything else, he had consistently lobbied and worked for her to remain alive. "I'm scared," she admitted quietly.

Having a better grasp of Kurumu, as a person, not just as a monster, Tomek took a risk and put his right arm around her. More pleased than surprised, she accepted the gesture. Deliberate choice apparently, Tomek thought. "It's good to be scared sometimes. It sharpens your survival instinct," he said.

Kurumu settled into him, "Is it really that important… to you?"

"We're in this together, Kurumu. It's part of my job to look after you." She heard him push something away from him on his left across the carpet.

"Empty bottle?" Kurumu asked, craning her neck, leaning too close and quietly sniffing the air by his face.

Tomek shook his head, "Full. Probably best neither one of us touch it right now."

"Your job, hm?" She squinted at him. He nodded, his brows raised briefly.

"You going to work with me on that?" turning his head right he realized they were nose-to-nose, close enough to scent each other's exhalations.

She yawned expansively before settling back down, relaxing onto him. Apprehensive, but letting her dictate the next move, he did nothing and found she was pulling the blanket from the bed on top of them.

"Don't be afraid Tomek," she whispered. "I can protect you."

"Oh?"

"You look after me, and I'll protect you from being a monster."

"Okay, Kurumu," he said. Tomek helped her draw the blanket around them. Her eyes heavy and her head drooping, she promptly fell asleep on him.

* * *

Issa took in the grounds of Yokai Academy as he walked from the administration building. Mizore strode contemplatively on his left, looking at nothing in particular, her arms crossed. Behind them, Yukari, slowly walked, staring into space.

There was a lot to handle. Glad her mother would soon be coming back home to Japan, Mizore was disturbed it was because of an injury Tsurara suffered from monsters who were intent on killing her. Kurumu was working with a complete stranger that Tsukune and Ginei knew, but the rest of them had only ever just heard of within the last couple of days. One of their school friends was dead and the school had been attacked, but no one seemed to know why and anyone with answers was either incapacitated or not talking. The only answers Issa had didn't even seem to fit into their current situation, at all.

Mizore found it increasingly harder not to resent Tsukune.

"What about this assassin, Mr. Shuzen?" Mizore asked quietly, looking past her purple hair to the stoic vampire where he stood by the railing. She followed his gaze and saw they had located Tsukune. The headmaster was in the Student Lobby, leaning by the bank of wall phones.

"We had been looking for a Russian national of European stock, but we were misled," Issa said calmly. "The man we are looking for is of the Oroks, He would little trouble blending in to greater Japan."

"And this assassin is working for fairytale?"

"That is what we have uncovered so far," Issa said with a nod. "We don't know who the target is."

"We know that Nagare Kano is dead, and Haiji Moyamoto!" Mizore snapped. Her and Issa locked eyes a moment, the vampire enjoying her sudden aggression. She saw the upturn of the corner of his mouth and composed herself. "Come on!" she snapped, approaching Tsukune.

The two of them stopped, close enough to hear Tsukune and to appreciate the tension cloying the very air around the young headmaster. Deep in conversation, he paid them no mind.

"It sounds like a bad storm, mom," Tsukune said, listening intently to the background beyond his mother's voice. These phones had proved to be invaluable to him, linking him to the human world when he first attended Yokai Academy. Standing there, listening to his mother prattle about nothing in particular, was cathartic for him then as a new student and now as Headmaster of the Academy.

Aware of the trio that approached him, Tsukune turned some and smiled at them. Mizore was inwardly relieved to see Tsukune was more himself and in control of the despair that had taken hold of him. He held up a hand staying their progress as he spoke to his mother.

"…oh? I'm glad. I knew Moka and Kokoa… what? Mom what?"

Yukari snapped out of her malaise and focused on Tsukune, recognizing his confused tonality. She mouthed "what" at him. Tsukune's face lost all its color.

"Mom, I didn't… Mom I didn't send you an egg! MOM! Is Moka there?"

Even Issa seemed affected by Tsukune mounting anxiety. The elder vampire's lips pulled back involuntarily in a fanged snarl, however brief.

"Mom…what do you mean Kokoa is chasing the delivery… Mom get Moka and… Kyoko. Mom get everyone out of the…" Tsukune flinched. He glanced at his friends desperately. "Thunder. It was so loud!" he declared. Fully shouting now, Tsukune's antics were causing Academy students to stop and stare at their headmaster.

"Mom Get out of the house! Get Moka and get out right now! I didn't send that egg! Mom? Mom? Moka no! NO!"

Mizore felt it. Yukari covered her mouth, feeling ill from it and Issa Shuzen himself stood awestruck and, if he admitted to it, apprehensive. Tsukune's anxiety wasn't just palpable. He exuded an aura of staggering power the likes of which hadn't been felt on earth since the fateful conflict when Alucard was finally driven from the world. His loss of control was boiling his First Ancestor blood and every monster there sensed it.

"Tsukune, you stop it right now!" Mizore demanded, stepping towards him aggressively, her ice claws unsheathed and glittering. She gasped seeing that Tsukune's black blood armor already encased his body. It was all happening so fast… "Tsukune don't do this! Moka can..."

"MOKA!" …Tsukune crushed the phone receiver into resin powder and let the cord go as magnificent black dragon like wings laced with molten red lights burst from his back. Shouting incoherently, Tsukune leapt skyward and Mizore jumped after him!


End file.
